Dirty Snake
by Karla Manatee
Summary: DHr. Draco tells Pansy what happened to his life after everyone left Hogwarts, before Voldemort kicked the bucket, and what happened to the Boy that Wouldn't Die?
1. Chapter 1

Hallo, and welcome to my first fanfic ever. Please give me feedback so I can improve my writing. Thanks!

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of the characters in here, so there you go.

He looked out the dirty window at the rain pouring down and closed his eyes. Slowly, he opened them again and took a hit off his cigarette and exhaled little smoke rings into the still air. He took a drink of his coffee and looked at his companion across the table.

"Well?" his companion asked. "Is it true? Are you dating that Mudblood?"

"Muggle-born," he corrected absently. "No, I'm not dating her." His companion looked relieved, until he said, "I married her about a year ago." She looked shocked, as though he had suddenly grown a second head or something.

"Yeah, so what? At least she's of the opposite sex," he spat out.

Pansy flushed. "At least my family won't disown me for dirtying my family name," she sneered, then looked appalled when she realized what she said. Both Draco's parents were killed by the Dark Lord three years previously. "I'm sorry I said that."

Draco sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm sorry I brought it up," he mumbled. "You know I don't mind. That doesn't bother me much." He looked up at Pansy. "So, what do you think?" he asked casually.

"About what? Oh, I don't know." She shook her head. "Actually, I thought she was smart enough to avoid you." When he looked up at Pansy, sparks shooting out his eyes, she held up her hands in surrender. "Whatever happened to the Weasel King? I thought those two would be joined at the pelvis by now."

Draco took another hit off his cigarette. "His brothers Fred and George were killed in the war. Ron went into a deep depression. A year later, when he finally came out of it, he went to the front lines in search for his brothers' killer. Two years later he found out Blaise's father had done it. He died in the duel." Draco sighed and put his cigarette out and gestured to the waitress for a refill.

"How long ago was that?" she asked.

"Three years ago."

"Oh." Pansy was staring outside at the rain now, too, head resting on her hands. She looked thoughtful. Draco lit another cigarette and offered one to Pansy. She declined, then sighed.

"What?" Draco snapped.

"Oh, hell, Draco, why'd you have to get yourself involved with a Mud- um, Muggle-born? Especially her?" She sighed. "You could have anyone. You always could, you know."

"Yeah, well, when the Dark Lord killed my family, I couldn't just accept him. They were poor parents, but they were still my parents. So I left the Death Eaters," he said simply. Pansy gasped.

Eyes wide, she asked, "Where did you go?"

"I went to the only place I knew I'd be safe – London."

XXXXX

"I've been expecting you, Mr. Malfoy."

Filthy and bloodstained, Draco simply stood there. He blinked once and said, "Wha?"

Dumbledore strode forward, wrapped an arm about Draco's shoulders, and gently led him upstairs and into a bedroom. Finally, his brain grasped the fact that he'd run smack into what could very well be his death. His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to ask for help. He immediately closed it, wondering what he could possibly say to explain himself or his circumstances.

As the silence stretched on, he felt himself get nervous. _Just say something,_ he thought to himself. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here at the invitation of Sirius Black," Dumbledore replied.

Confused, Draco repeated what his mother had told him. "Black is dead. This house hasn't been used since he died. Mother said I'd be... safe...?" He looked inquiringly at Dumbledore. "Will I?" he asked with a hunted look.

"Mr. Malfoy, right now, nowhere is safe. However," he continued, seeing the fear in Draco's eyes, "Voldemort will be hard pressed to find anyone here."

Draco's eyes relaxed, though his body was still tense, as though he expected to be attacked any moment. "What do you mean, 'anyone'? Are there other people here?"

Dumbledore paused, thinking. "Hermione Granger is here right now."

Draco paused, staring at Dumbledore. "R-really? Why? What's that got to do with me?"

Dumbledore rested a hand on Draco's shoulder. "More than you think. Let's go down and speak with her." Draco nodded and stood up.

XXXXX

Pansy's mouth was hanging open. "You – he – but – _her?_" she spluttered.

Taking a drink of his coffee, Draco stared at the tip of his cigarette. "You know, Pansy, I never thought I'd be telling this to anyone, especially you. However, since I kept your secret – you know, about your 'private time' – I feel you'll be able to keep this to yourself." She nodded her consent. If Draco had told anyone she liked girls – not boys – at school, she might possibly not be sitting there, or anywhere for that matter, ever again.

Reaching forward, she grabbed one of Draco's cigarettes. He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. She also signaled the waitress and asked for a fire whiskey.

A/N: Sorry it's so short. I thought it was longer than that. Anyway, review me and let me know where to go from here.  
-Kat


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for my first review, hermyandron4evr! I was so nervous, but I feel better now. ;D

In addition to that, I would like to say something. I am not adverse to constructive criticism; anything anyone has to offer to help me improve my writing is more than welcome. However, I was reading a fanfic last night where two ANONYMOUS readers flamed this poor girl to death. I've never thought telling someone 'you suck', 'your writing sucks', 'you're a bitchy writer', etc. was constructive, probably because it's NOT. Well, anyway, please don't flame me, unless you have the nuts to at least tell me who you are. Thank you, and I hope I never have to write anything like this again.

Disclaimer: I disclaim the characters.

"OK, Draco," Pansy said when her firewhiskey appeared before her. "Please continue." She lit her cigarette with her wand tip.

Draco, who had been staring out the window again, sighed. Turning to Pansy, he startled her with some unknown look in his eyes, turning the silver a deep, cloudy gray. "I – ." He sighed again.

XXXXX

Dumbledore and Draco descended the stairs, passing many portraits and decapitated heads of house-elves. They continued on, down a dark path and through a door. The kitchen was empty of life, except for a petite woman with long, curly hair, wearing robes of midnight blue. In his current state, he could have seen this woman naked on the table doing a backbend and not batted an eye. The first thing that caught his attention was how cozy this room was. Aside from the woman, it contained only a table set; loads of parchment; piles of books, some stacked over a meter high; and a fireplace. Yet somehow, being as empty as it was, it felt warmer than the small fire could account for. It felt welcoming, as though he somehow belonged here. Finally, his eyes fell upon the woman. He couldn't see her face, but her aura _glowed_, almost like some kind of inner light.

"Hermione," Dumbledore said. She looked up from the book she was scanning, placing her finger on the page to hold her place.

"Yes, Pro—"she stopped when her eyes alit on the man standing next to Dumbledore. He was tall, only a few centimeters shorter than Dumbledore himself, with what appeared to be very pale blond underneath the mud. His silvery eyes looked familiar, but there was something not quite right about them. He was filthy, this man, covered in blood and streaked with dirt.

"Hermione, I would like to reintroduce Draco Malfoy." Draco thought he saw a flicker of something in her eyes, but when he blinked, it was gone. She was examining him like she would a new book, and it was starting to make him uncomfortable.

"Good morning, Draco."

Had he been in a frame of mind to notice her dark auburn hair, her creamy ivory skin, and her deep brown eyes, he would have been interested in this woman. Instead, he noticed she was being polite to him. The first emotion that ran through him was shock at her polite behavior. He knew he didn't deserve it after the way he treated her all through school. After a moment, he felt a rush of gratitude for her, which was followed by another wave of shock. A Mudblood? Gratitude? He didn't want to think about this now. He'd experienced in the last 13 hours shock, fear, anger, loathing, hatred, surprise, fear (again), shock (again), and now gratitude. It was just too much.

He needed a drink.

XXXXX

Pansy listened the entire time Draco was speaking, not interrupting, but allowing him to tell his story. She was simply amazed.

She had realized at Hogwarts that this rude, arrogant git had other emotions, compassion being one of them. Why else would he have let her tell everyone lies about their relationship? They never even kissed, let alone get it on like she told everyone. It actually made her uncomfortable to realize that she didn't actually know the person she considered to be her best friend. She never knew, hadn't even bothered to ask. A pang of guilt caused her cheeks to turn pink. She had to quit doing this – purebloods such as herself had to remember not to show such emotion. Besides, pink was not her color.

Pansy pulled herself out of her thoughts, noticing Draco was staring out the window again. He had been quiet for about five minutes. Pansy cleared her throat, trying to get his attention.

Fortunately, it worked. He looked down at his coffee for a minute, then cleared his throat. He lit a new cigarette from the end of his old one and inhaled. He held it in for a minute, feeling the burn as the nicotine ate away at his lungs. Eventually, when he felt himself getting lightheaded, he exhaled towards the ceiling. "Where was I?"

"Um, you... needed a drink?"

"Yeah." He gestured at the waitress and asked for some whiskey for his coffee. "Make it a, oh, a triple."

A/N: Ok, there it is. My second chapter. Let me know what you think.

-Kat


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the review again, hermyandron4evr! I hope someone does decide to read my stories... oh, well, at least you like them. Thank you!

Draco was led to a bathroom. It was dark, just like the rest of the house, but cleaner. Dumbledore stopped him before he closed the door.

"Draco, I will leave you to clean up, but afterwards we need to talk. I need you to tell me as much as you can about what happened during the last few days. I know it will be hard, but I think you may have some important information." Draco nodded and shut the door.

He quickly stripped out of his cloak and kicked his shoes off. His socks, he noticed, were filthier than his shoes. Disgusted, he quickly discarded the rest of his clothes. As he was about to get in the shower, he caught his reflection in the mirror. A stranger's face stared back at him. This man had straggly brown hair instead of sleek, smooth blond. His eyes were a cloudy gray instead of shining silver. His face was streaked with dirt and mud, and he had open wounds still dripping blood gently. He blinked, thinking it was a ghost looking out of the mirror, inspecting this new arrival to the house. But it wasn't. This reflection was also rubbing its eyes. He realized it was himself.

Downstairs, Hermione and Dumbledore were in conversation with Lupin and Tonks. They had been in the kitchen, hidden because of the spell Dumbledore had cast when Draco asked if there were other people in the house. As Secret Keeper, he still had control over what people saw when they entered the house. Since he hadn't told Draco this was the headquarters, Draco only saw what Dumbledore allowed. (A/N: Since Draco wasn't Secret Keeper, he couldn't tell this part to Pansy. More at end of chapter.)

"Well, what do you think?" Lupin asked Dumbledore.

"I don't know yet. I think he has seen an awful lot of things, and from his perspective, we are still the enemy."

"How could he think that?" Tonks asked. "Didn't he see the horrible things Vol-_he_ did to his family? His friends? How could he-"

"These are things I will find out. First, I want to give him a little time to calm down. I also want him to understand he will not be harmed by us while he is here."

"But, Professor-"

"Hermione, will you please dispense with the formality? I am Albus," Dumbledore said.

"Yes, well, it's hard to get used to." Hermione looked at the floor. "You just, well, you were my mentor for so long, it's hard to refer to you as an equal."

"You have taught me many things, too, Hermione." Hermione looked up, about to contradict him. It was in her nature, after all.

"Please, I ask you. Now," he said, addressing the other two again, "You know what needs to be done. Please see that it is taken care of." Tonks and Lupin nodded, then Disapparated.

An hour later, Draco finally stepped out of the shower, the water having turned cold. He still felt dirty, even though his skin had turned red from the scrubbing he had given it. The water had run black for half an hour, then turned a murky brown. He still had dirt under his fingernails. He still felt the mud that had covered his body, gotten in between his toes, had seeped into his soul. He shook his head, water spraying the mirror. He wished he could open up his skull, scrub his brain of the images still there; dig out his heart and scrub the fear away. He felt so cold inside.

He looked for his clothes and noticed they were still in a pile on the floor, stained with the reminders of the horrors he had witnessed. He just stood there for a few minutes until someone knocked on the door. He opened it and wasn't surprised to see it was Hermione.

"Well, what do you want, Mudblood?"

"I wanted to offer you some clothes and a bite to eat, but I just changed my mind." She turned around and started to walk back downstairs.

"Wait... wait. Please." Draco sounded frantic.

"What?"

"I'm... I'm... s-s-s-sor... uh, sorry."

Hermione's jaw hit the floor. "What?"

"You heard me. Get me those clothes."

Hermione started to walk away again. "No."

"Please?" Draco swallowed his pride for a minute. Yeah, she was a Mudblood, but his only other options were to put the filthy clothes on again, or walk around naked. He wouldn't mind being naked, but somehow he thought others might object.

"Ok." Hermione tried not to feel the satisfaction of having gotten an apology out of him, but couldn't help it. She thought she would be over this by now.

Draco waited for a few minutes, finally remembering to wrap a towel around himself so she wouldn't see him naked again. When she reappeared, she had a pair of black jeans and a black hoodie in her arms. She walked over to him and dumped the clothes into his arms unceremoniously. She turned around and started walking down the stairs again.

"What about my food?" he called.

"What? Oh, here." A large plate of Chicken Parmesan appeared with buttered noodles and garlic toast. She floated it into a room across the hall from the bathroom. "There's coffee in there, too. Dumbledore will be up shortly."

XXXXX

Pansy looked disgusted and impressed at the same time. "You _apologized_? To a _Mud-_ uh – Muggleborn? I can't believe it." She'd never heard Draco apologize for anything before, ever. The fact that a nasty Mudblood (_I can still say it in my head, dammit_) got him to do it was what impressed her. She involuntarily felt... what was the word? Respect? _No, that can't be it. NEVER feel anything like that for a Mudblood._ _Something similar to that, though._

"Yep."

"Well. Hmm. Alright. Well."

"Got anything else to say?" Draco sneered.

"Yeah. Can I have another smoke?"

A/N: Hmmm. I hope putting some of Hermione's thoughts and feelings in here when it's told from Draco's pov isn't too confusing. If it is, let me know and I'll try and fix it. Also, in reference to the stuff he can't tell Pansy, it's simply for reference, kind of like Hermione's pov. Well, that's all for now.

Later

-Kat


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I disclaim the characters.

Draco was staring out the window again. Well, trying, anyway. The windows had fogged up and were obscuring his view of the storm outside, which hadn't let up. He tried to take another drink of his coffee only to realize it was gone. The whiskey had helped him relax, though. He thought about Hermione, and felt even better.

Pansy was trying to wait patiently for a response, for him to continue, something. She didn't want to interrupt, but she was waiting anxiously for him to continue (A/N: just like you are, I'm sure. ;)) She stared at him, enjoying her cigarette. He didn't seem to be getting the point, however. She cleared her throat.

Draco looked up, seeming to realize she was still there. This annoyed Pansy. She wasn't used to being ignored.

"Keep your shirt on. I'll keep talking when I'm good and ready."

Pansy smiled to herself. No matter what happened, he was still his old self, the arrogant prat she was used to.

"OK, OK, hang on." Draco put out his cigarette and motioned for more coffee. If he didn't slow down soon, he was going to have to pee. Well, he had to pee right now, but he didn't feel like getting up. It was a long walk.

After the waitress disappeared, he continued with his story.

XXXXX

Draco walked into the room with his food. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he saw the noodles sitting on his plate, the steam rising into the air. He had never been a fan of noodles, but he also hadn't had anything to eat for 13 hours and was prepared to eat dog food.

After he had his fill (the plate kept refilling itself), he laid on the bed. As soon as he did, memories of last night filled his head. Suddenly the food was sitting in his stomach like a big rock. _I always did eat too much,_ he thought to himself.

Dumbledore appeared in the doorway. Draco sat up. It was strange, seeing him. He hadn't seen Dumbledore in three years, since he finished at Hogwarts. He looked exactly the same, even the bags under his eyes. His eyes, though, weren't sparkling like they usually did. They looked like smooth pebbles, without any emotion.

Draco had never told anyone, but he actually liked Dumbledore. He seemed like a stable rock amidst a raging storm. He didn't blame; he listened and accepted. So unlike Draco's father, who always jumped to conclusions, blaming the first person that came to mind - usually him. It sucked having Lucius Malfoy for a father. He had no control over his temper. He always hit hard and fast. His favorite saying was, "Make sure the punishment is swift and sure. Don't listen to excuses, and show no remorse." He applied it to every aspect of his life. Draco hated it. No affection, no love, not even the slightest bit of caring was ever shown. No, that was a lie. He cared how he appeared to Voldemort, and that was it.

Anyway, Dumbledore was there. He looked at Draco and sat down on the only chair in the room.

"Care to talk?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"Nope. Not even a little."

"Will you answer my questions?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Depends on if I like the questions."

Dumbledore understood. He went through the same thing with Harry after Sirius died. He told Draco the same thing he told Harry, way back then.

"I know it's hard. I know how you feel-"

Draco leapt off of the bed. "You don't know how I feel! No one does."

"OK. Let's start over. I have a pretty good idea what you're going through."

"Not really. How could you? You didn't watch the man you were told to follow and obey murder your parents on a whim. You didn't feel his wrath when you tried to stop him. You have no idea." Draco sat back on the bed, realizing showing his feelings wasn't as bad as he had been brought up to expect. It almost felt good.

"Draco."

Draco looked up at Dumbledore.

"What I'm trying to say is you feel like shit." Draco looked up, stunned. He had never heard language like that out of the headmaster before. "Now I have your attention. Correct?" Draco nodded. "Don't expect to hear me talk like that again. As I was saying, you have seen some terrible things recently. It was not pleasant in the least, and I'm sure the last thing you want to do is relive it for me. However, it is vital that I know what Voldemort is up to." Draco winced at the name of the Dark Lord, his former master, the spawn from hell – the thing that had tortured him in his dreams for years.

"Well, what exactly do you think you need to know?"

"First, I need to know if you will still follow him. Are you still a servant of Voldemort?"

Draco paused for a moment. He knew if he told Dumbledore 'no', which he really wanted to do, because he wasn't, Dumbledore would try and find a way to get him to work for the 'good' side, which he really, REALLY did _not_ want to do. If he told Dumbledore 'yes', he would be kicked out of this house and would probably be hunted by both sides. After all, if you committed your life to Voldemort, you didn't just walk away. It was a lifelong commitment. He weighed the sides out in his mind. Be hunted by the Death Eaters, or be hunted by the Death Eaters AND the Ministry. He decided his odds of survival were probably best if he chose one hunter instead of two.

"No, I will not follow him any longer."

Dumbledore gave Draco a small smile. "Tough choice, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It is."

"My next question is if you want to work against Voldemort. I hope you do, and if you do choose to 'switch sides', I will offer you all the protection I can. I do want you to know, however, that it isn't something to be taken lightly. There will be work involved, and situations that will test your willpower and your ethics. There will be tough decisions to make. It is a difficult path to choose."

Draco felt disappointment wash over him. He began to feel cold inside again. He wished he could just numb his brain to all the thoughts running through his head. Despair began to take over.

"Draco? I know this is a tough decision, but I need to have your answer now."

He thought, _What have I got to lose? I have nothing left to live for._

"Yes. I will help you."

"Thank you. That is all I will need from you for now. Please relax if you can. I need to be off; however, Hermione is still in the kitchen. If you feel you need to talk, she will listen." With that, Dumbledore disappeared.

A/N: I know, that was a kind of unfulfilling chapter, but I have to work on my other story. I will update soon, I promise. Please review! Thanks.

-Kat


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I know this is supposed to be on hiatus, but I've recently received a few more reviews on it, and have decided to continue it after all. I know there is at least one person out there who has been looking forward to it (read: Lee Lee) and I just couldn't disappoint her. So, here's another chapter. I am also letting anyone who cares know I will be changing the title to just 'Dirty Snake', effective next chapter.

Draco immediately fell into a troubled sleep. He had many dreams, each one more horrible than the last. Images flashed through his mind of Voldemort; of his parents' deaths; flashes of red and green light; blood and body parts soaring through the air. He woke more than once, covered in sweat and shaking, in a panic because he couldn't remember where he was. After the fourth time, he gave up, pulled on his pants, and walked downstairs. He vaguely recalled someone telling him to be quiet in the hall, but he didn't care. Why should he? He had a shitty day and couldn't get any sleep without reliving that shitty day over again. He kicked the bottom stair in anger and someone began to scream.

He turned to see a portrait of a woman shrieking at the top of her lungs for no apparent reason. He walked up to the woman and yelled at her. "Shut the fuck up, you batty old hag! What are you screaming about?"

Abruptly, the old woman closed her mouth, eyeing him up. "You look familiar," she said.

"Sirius Black was-"

"Don't dare speak his name, the nasty blood traitor. Are you one of _them_?" the portrait asked.

"My mother was Narcissa Black."

"Malfoy? You're a Malfoy?" The woman looked overjoyed. "Finally, someone to rid this house of the filth my no-good, traitorous son Sirius allowed in here."

"Nope."

"What? The son of a Black AND a Malfoy... but... YOU FILTHY BLOOD-TRAITOR! GET OUT OF THE HOUSE-"she was cut off mid-sentence. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Her face contorted in anger and she began gesticulating roughly at someone behind him.

"What did you do to her?" a light feminine voice asked from behind him.

Draco spun around to stare at Hermione Granger. "What's it to you?" he sneered.

"We've been here for over six years and no one, including Sirius Black, could shut her up without pulling the curtains on her. I was wondering."

"My mother told me how. This portrait was painted after Black ran away from home. It's a simple enough hex, really. I'm surprised know-it-all Granger couldn't figure it out." He sneered at her again.

"Fine, don't tell me. I'm not going to beg. I was trying to make polite conversation because I, unlike you, am mature enough to put the name-calling and little pranks behind me. You, however, seem to enjoy calling me names like an eleven-year-old. Well, bully for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be downstairs, doing something productive with my time instead of calling you names and reminiscing about the good ol' times." With that, she turned around and walked back through the door to the kitchen.

Draco felt ashamed. _Dammit. I'm tired of feeling all these new emotions. This SUCKS._ However, he did realize calling the only other person in the world that wouldn't kill him on sight a 'know-it-all' probably wouldn't make him any friends. He sighed, then followed Hermione into the kitchen.

She was sitting back in the same spot she had been in when he first arrived. This time, though, her hair had been pulled back from her face in a loose ponytail. A few short pieces of hair had escaped, framing her face and hugging her jaw. Her shoulders were hunched as she leaned over a book nearly a meter wide, squinting at the miniscule writing, while taking notes every few seconds. She looked so intent, he wasn't sure if she had heard him enter the kitchen, though it had been less than a minute after she had.

Just as he was getting ready to clear his throat, she spoke. "What can I get you?"

"Um, well, I just wanted to tell you I didn't intend to offend you."

"Okay. Anything else?"

_Wait a minute, I just apologized, and she's acting as though he was wasting her time!_ "Yes, actually. Dumbledore told me you were down here if I needed someone to talk to."

"Well, talk, then."

_She's changed. A lot._ "Um, what about?"

"You decide. You're the one that wants to talk, not me. I have work to do," she said impatiently.

"Fine, then." _If she wants to act like that, so can I._ "What are you reading?"

"Can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"You'll have to ask Dumbledore." Hermione finally looked up at Draco. "There are only certain things I can tell you. There is a good reason, and if Dumbledore thinks you're ready to hear what I am doing, he will tell you. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"I... um, yeah. But you need to stop reading." Hermione put down her quill and put the parchment she had been making notes on in the book to hold her place. _Hmm. _"And you have to come sit by me." She stood up and moved down to the other end of the table. _Hmm... how about_..."Now get on my lap."

"Fuck off." She started to stand up, but Draco grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"You don't mean that."

"I don't want you to go."

"Well, I want to, because it's dark outside, which means it's getting colder, and the fire is down on that end." She pointed next to the chair she had been sitting in when he entered the kitchen.

Draco flushed slightly and stood up to move down the table. He hurried a little so he could pull out Hermione's chair, which she noted but made no comment on. Once she had been seated, he sat down to her right, facing her. The fire was at his back, and he realized she was right. The kitchen had been getting a little chilly.

Once he had been settled, Hermione looked at him, but said nothing. Draco felt a little uncomfortable, and his "What?" came out a little rudely.

"Do you want to talk or sit here staring at me?" she asked. He blinked, noting there was no emotion in her voice or her actions. _Well, at least she's not being mean to me. Did I just say 'mean', as in 'big fat meanie'? I really am a child._

"Well, is there anything to eat? I'm hungry again." He paused, then asked, "How long was I asleep?"

"First things first. What do you want to eat?"

"What've you got?"

"We've got snacks, if you want cakes or chips; or we've got leftovers from dinner, which was dragon stew and biscuits."

"Stew, please. Can I have two biscuits?"

"Sure. Next thing, you were in that room for about three hours. You didn't sleep much, did you?"

"Nope. How'd you know?"

"I couldn't sleep for more than fifteen minutes at a time after Ron died."

"What happened to the Weasel?"

"If you're going to act like that, I'm not telling."

Draco was starting to get angry at himself. _Why do I keep calling her names? Why am I being so childish? What the _hell _is my problem? _

He sighed. "I'm sorry." _Why am I apologizing to this Mudblood? Why is she making me feel guilty for treating her the way she deserves to be treated? Why am I angry with myself for treating her the way I always used to?_ "Please tell me." _Is it because she doesn't deserve to be treated that way anymore? Hmm._

"He died."

"Oh. How?"

"Your mate Zabini's dad killed the twins-"

"You mean the ones that left Umbridge in the hall in the middle of fifth year?"

"Yeah, those twins. As I was saying, when Ron found out who did it, he went after him and died in the duel." Hermione's face lacked all emotion, but her voice had a note of pain in it.

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're not. Don't say it if you don't mean it."

"You misunderstand. I'm not sorry he's dead, I'm sorry I wasn't there to help."

Hermione visibly stiffened. "Here's your food. Get out."

Draco didn't know what she was talking about. They were having a decent conversation and all of a sudden she tells him to get out? "What the hell is your problem?"

"I'm not deaf, you know. I heard what you said."

"What?"

"The part about wishing you weren't there to help." Hermione was so mad her small frame was shaking.

"I said that?" _Oops._

"Yep. Clear as day."

"I didn't mean to."

"What, you think it's okay to just think it?"

"Well, I didn't think it on purpose."

"What the HELL is THAT supposed to mean?"

"Some things are just ingrained. Just like I breathe without thinking, I hate – well, I _hated_ – anyone who wasn't a supporter of the Dark Lord. Weasley was a blood traitor, and it's not like he didn't hate me, too. I bet he had dreams of killing me one-"

"You DO NOT know ANYTHING about Ron!" Hermione cried. "Just get out of here. I don't want to talk to you any more right now."

"But Dumbledore-"

"I think he'll make an exception tonight. Now get out of my sight before I actually lose my temper." She turned her back on him.

Draco's eyes widened. _That_ was how she acted when she had her temper under control? He grabbed his dinner and walked out of the kitchen.

Hermione sank to the floor with her head in her hands, her shoulders stooped. Her anger at Draco had been replaced by anguish as images flashed in her mind of Ron's dead body, of various memories at school, of his fervor to avenge Fred and George. She dissolved into body-wracking tears and screamed her pain at the floor.

Just outside the kitchen, Draco had backed away from the door when he heard Hermione cry out. _Did she cry like that at school? Did I do that to her before? What_ is _my problem?_

XXXXX

Draco stood up and left for the restroom. Pansy was staring at a point on the wall behind Draco. Her mouth was slightly open. _Blaise's dad? _Three_ Weasleys? No wonder the Zabinis were honored so much._ Pansy was impressed, but not surprised. Blaise had always been ambitious, and now she knew where he got it from. She felt kind of bad for Draco, though. His parents murdered, he was forced to live with that Muggle- and Mudblood-loving fool Dumbledore. Of course, if it hadn't been for his parents being murdered, Draco would probably still be a Death Eater and either be dead or in Azkaban because of it. _That would suck. I'd have no one left to talk to._

When Draco returned, Pansy asked where Hermione was. Draco said she was at St. Mungo's, visiting a friend. Pansy didn't actually care, she was trying to be polite.

Draco walked up to the counter and asked for a pack of cigarettes. The waitress handed them to him, and he asked her to bring over another refill when she got a second. For now, though, he sat down, lit another cigarette, and stared out the window again.

A/N: It was a _tad_ bit longer than usual... hehehe... hope it was enjoyed and hope to get some reviews. This is for you, Lee Lee!

Later,

-Kat


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Well, since more people have actually decided to not only _read_ this story, but to review it, I've decided to update a little more often than never. I figure probably about every three or four days, but that's not guaranteed. Kind of depends on when the inspiration hits me. Also depends on how motivationally challenged I feel. So there you go. As far as reviews go, please keep in mind that I don't _dis_like criticism; right now, I think this story is kind of poopy. If anyone has any ideas, please leave them in a review, or I can always be reached by email. Thanks.

Here you go.

Oh, I disclaim the HP characters, and any quotes from movies or song lyrics in any of my fics and/or chapters. That being said, 'Smoochie boochie'. Haha.

The waitress appeared with the coffee, topped it off for Draco, put his smokes on the table, and sauntered away. She probably did it for Draco's benefit, but Pansy was the one that noticed. _Nice ass. Long legs... too bad. Wish she swung my way._ At that thought, she smirked the definitive Slytherin smirk. Draco noticed and raised his right eyebrow. "Pansy. Pansy. PANSY." She finally turned toward him.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Sorry, just because you're probably getting laid on a regular basis doesn't mean I am." Pansy sighed wistfully.

"Well, don't do it in front of me. If you want to do it, that's your business. Don't make it mine."

"Fuck you, a-hole. You've flaunted your girls in front of me for years. What makes it okay for you but not me?"

"I have a dick and you don't. Way of the world, darlin'."

"Fuck you again. NOW," she continued, "are you going to continue to insult me all night, or are you going to get on with your story?"

"Fine, fine, be that way. Must be PMS-ing." Pansy kicked him under the table.

XXXXX

Hermione was curled up on the floor for a few minutes. She couldn't believe this jackass had come to this house, found refuge with these people, and acted so ignorantly to her. _How dare he? Who does he think he is, King of England? Oh, yeah, it's Malfoy. Of course he does._ Hermione felt a little better at that. After all, the only feelings she had ever seen him express were disgust and hatred, unless you counted the glee he seemed to feel when he was insulting everyone else. _I doubt he even has the capacity to feel anything else._

Upstairs, Draco was just finishing the last bit of stew, and was looking forward to wiping the bowl clean with the last bit of biscuit he had. It was a guilty pleasure of his dating back from childhood, when he would sneak down to the kitchens and lick the leftover cake mix or torte filling or whatever off the spoons or even straight from the bowl. His father had caught him at it once when he was about five and had given him his first sample of a muggle fistfight. After that, Draco was a lot more careful. He had the house elves bring the leftovers up to his room.

Anyway, the anticipation of being able to do something strictly forbidden was making him feel better. The distraction worked until he was done, which was when the image of Hermione, shaking with fury, jumped right back into his mind. Once again, he started to feel a little ashamed of his behavior.

Shit. What is wrong with me? She was trying to be nice and all I could think about was how much I wished I had been the one to take out Weasel. Well, at least she didn't kill me. That thought made Draco feel slightly better, but not enough to excuse his actions. He wasn't sure, but he thought he might actually owe the little Mud-er, the woman down in the kitchen, an apology. After all, she had called him immature and accused him of being caught up in the past, but she was actually stating fact, not trying to be an insufferable know-it-all. Well, he could show her he had changed, too. It can't be that hard, can it?

Hermione had picked herself up off the floor and was in the process of stoking the fire so she could make some hot chocolate to help keep her warm. She preferred coffee, but at this late an hour, it would only keep her up all night, and she had a lot of work she had to do tomorrow, not to mention put up with that stupid git all day. Well, if he can call me names and insult me to my face, I can call him whatever I want in my head. She mentally stuck her tongue out at Draco.

Hermione sat down at the table, prepared to take more notes, but suddenly felt the emptiness of the house around her. I need some music. That was simple enough. She waved her wand and the WWN, the wizarding 'radio' station, filled the kitchen. Unbeknownst to most wizards, Korn was actually a muggle band.

Being so late at night, the wireless network was having its normal All Nighter, when they picked a band and played most of their songs from 11.00 p.m. to 7.00 a.m. Hermione enjoyed their music, even though she was older than their typical fan base. They had become popular in her fourth year, and she had been a fan ever since.

One of her favorite songs came on, and before she knew it, she was singing into her quill and jumping around the kitchen.

"Life's always gotta be messing with me (You wanna see the light?)

Can't it chill and let me be free? (So do I)

Can't I take away all this pain? (You wanna see the light?)

I try to every night all in vain... in vain.

"Sometimes I cannot take this place

Sometimes it's my life I can taste

Sometimes I cannot feel my face

You'll never-"

She had just noticed Draco standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Oh gods, did he see me? She stopped right in the middle of a great headbanging session. She had taken her ponytail out and her hair was slowly settling around her head. Her face turned a deep crimson.

Draco was surprised. The little Miss Priss listens to metal? I would have thought she was more along the lines of Britney Spears. Everyone knew who Britney Spears was because, well, she was Britney Spears.

Trying to make her feel a little better, he started singing along with the music.

"Feeling like a freak on a leash (You wanna see the light?)

Feeling like I have no release (So do I)

How many times have I felt diseased? (You wanna see the light?)

Nothing in my life is free... is free.

During Draco's own attempt at singing, Hermione's face had broken out in a grin. She had someone she could get her frustration out with. She joined him.

"Sometimes I cannot take this place

Sometimes it's my life I can taste

Sometimes I cannot feel my face

You'll never see me fall from grace."

Draco and Hermione continued to jump around the kitchen and sing at the top of their lungs for a good half an hour. Draco had found a wooden spoon to sing in, and sometimes he would take a break to play the air bass. It was a sight to behold. And behold it Lupin did.

Neither of them noticed Lupin come into the kitchen; Draco because he had his eyes closed, playing the bass, and Hermione because she was headbanging again. There was a commercial break, and both of the wannabes were taking a much-deserved break. Lupin chose this moment to start clapping.

Draco spun around so fast he cricked his neck, and Hermione threw her hair back out of her face so fast she lost her balance and fell on her booty.

"Well, everyone feeling better?" he asked with a small grin on his face.

"Well, we were." Draco had a strange look on his face. It was part exhilaration from his exercise, part wariness because he didn't know about this particular person's feelings toward him, and part disgust because, if he recalled correctly, Lupin was a werewolf.

Hermione walked toward Lupin with her hand outstretched. "How was duty? Are you hungry? There's still some of Molly's stew left over. I made hot chocolate, too."

"Well, maybe in a bit. First, I wanted to make sure I left a note for Dumbledore."

Hermione nodded her head and produced a piece of parchment and handed Lupin her 'microphone'. Lupin grinned at her again, and this time Hermione returned it, although it was a bit sheepishly.

"Malfoy, do you remember Remus Lupin? He was the-"

"Yeah, I remember him. Defense against the Dark Arts in... third year?"

"Yes. Well, um, Remus, this is Draco Malfoy."

"I remember." He gave Draco a polite smile and settled down at the table. After about five minutes, he rolled up the parchment and gave it a tap with his wand to seal it.

"Now, what kind of stew was it?"

A/N: Sorry, I know this seems a little out of character for Hermione and Draco, but one of them just relived a really brutal memory and the other just experienced hell on Earth. I was going to let them argue with each other, but Hermione's been talking about how she's so mature now and Draco's not, so I didn't want to contradict Hermione. So, they got to do my favorite release of aggression – screaming to some really loud, raunchy music. Plus, Korn is my favorite band to scream to, so I got to pretend I was jumping around with Draco in my head. It was great fun, I tell you.

Next chapter will be more in-character, I promise, but I had to have a fun chapter in the midst of all this angst. It was depressing me. So, it will be back on track next chapter.

Congratulations on getting this far,

-Kat

P.S. Everyone that wanted a cookie, I am out, but I do plan on getting some cupcakes soon.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I just looked over the last chapter and realized how short it was. Sorry, everyone... I'll try not to let it happen again. :(

Anyway, since this is chapter seven, I would like to dedicate this chapter to all my reviewers, whom I am about to recognize.

hermyandron4evr: I still enjoy your reviews, please please PLEASE continue. :)

keys3033: I will try to make the chapters longer... I already have, actually, but will continue to do so.

rebecca: Well, Draco can't just be a hateful bastard forever, can he? Well, I guess he could, but NOT when I'm in control. hahaha!

To everyone that asked about Harry: He's busy, and I have a feeling that after we check in with Lupin and Dumbledore Harry will stop by for a visit.

To J.N. Cahill, jo, SlytherinGurl176, reflectivelvet, inkedwallpaper, dgirlm, callista, kitty253, Fallen4HPTF, SaTiNk06, innocent me, ditheringprat, jezebellerd 15, onetrueself, and Sallymander: thank you for the support and reviews, I love you all in a completely hetero, non-sexual way. Because I care for all of you so much, I've decided to give you some nutrition to sustain you through my stories. Everyone gets a donut. I've also prepared coffee and have some apple cider available.

Cheers!

Lupin sat down at the table with his stew. Tomorrow night was the full moon, so he tried to enjoy every bite while he could. He was going to be sick for the next three days. Though he was looking forward to a break from his duties for the Order, he didn't like the reason. _Being a werewolf sucks._ It wasn't the first time he thought it, and it wouldn't be the last. For the next three days, he would be curled in a ball back at the Shrieking Shack. It was nice and dark, but stank something fierce. _Oh, well, it could be worse. I suppose. Maybe._ Either way, he was enjoying the stew, but declined the biscuits; at this time of the month, he just wanted meat.

"Everything go all right tonight?" Hermione asked after about ten minutes of silence. Lupin realized he had been lost in his thoughts.

"No, unfortunately, just as expected." He looked at Hermione, asking her a question with his eyes. _Does he know about the Order? How much should I say?_

Hermione replied, "Well, you'll have to tell me the details later, because we have a guest." Translated, it meant: 'He isn't with Voldemort, but Dumbledore hasn't said anything to him or me about his role here yet.'

Draco saw the look being sent Hermione's way, and felt out of place. "You guys seem to have some catching up to do, I'll just head upstairs and get some sleep." He stood up and stretched.

Hermione noticed that the hoodie she had provided for him didn't seem to be big enough. When he raised his arms over his head, the bottom of the shirt rose up and revealed several centimeters of skin above the waist of his pants. It looked smooth and was pulled taut over a well-defined six-pack. The seams near his shoulders seemed to strain with the effort of not ripping in half. Cords of muscle stood out on his neck, and the sleeves seemed to get stuck on his bulging forearms. Hermione didn't realize it, but she was staring at him, mouth open, shock written all over her face. _When did that happen? He was always skinny at school. He didn't even look that good when he got out of the shower earlier. What the hell?_ She shook her head. _And since when do I care?_

She felt slightly disgusted with herself. However, she still had manners, and invited Draco to stay and have a cup of hot chocolate before going to bed.

"Well, sure, if I'm not intruding," Draco answered her. He also had manners, which was why he tried to excuse himself from the room. Now that she mentioned hot chocolate, though, he was staying, even if he had to fight her for a cup. Chocolate was his favorite and he always felt better after indulging in any form, whether it be a piece of Honeyduke's finest or chocolate sauce on an ice cream sundae. Some people said things like, "Chocolate is chocolate". Draco hated these people. They had no subtlety. Draco said to these people, "That's like saying 'a broom is a broom'. Would you rather have a Comet or a Firebolt?"

Anyway, he was enjoying his first cup, savoring the smooth path it made from his lips, down his throat, and to his stomach. He made a mental note to thank Hermione later. _What? WHAT did I just say? THANK her?_ He took a deep breath. _Yes, thank her, you idiot. This is probably the best hot chocolate you've ever had, and you are going to thank her so she will make you some more. Idiot._

Draco drug himself back to the conversation Hermione was having with Lupin. "... and that's what happened. Have you heard from Tonks?"

"No, not yet, but she should be here later to check in. However, I don't have the time to wait, I need to go home and prepare for tomorrow night." He gave Hermione a slight grimace. "Give her my best, would you?" Hermione agreed, and Lupin stood up. Draco also stood up, nodding his head at Lupin when told 'good night'. He looked about the room to see where Hermione had gotten to with his chocolate.

She was standing by the fireplace, her back to him, doing something over the fire. He waited until she was done before he spoke. "I wanted to thank you."

Hermione looked surprised. _Wha? Thank me? Why? What did I do?_ "Um, okay. You're welcome," she said, looking politely bewildered. Draco decided to elaborate.

"Well, first and foremost, thank for the hot chocolate. I think it's nearly, if not the best I've ever tasted."

Hermione flushed a dull pink.

"Thanks. My grandmother showed me how to do it, and I always liked it better than the powdered stuff." She shrugged. "My parents are both dentists. They're, um, kind of like Healers, except just for teeth and sore throats and such. They don't like me to eat chocolate."

"Well, that sounds stu-er, um, strange. Chocolate is one of the most wonderful foods ever created."

Hermione laughed. _That sounds beautiful, kind of like a pocket full of gold. Except better._ "I have to say I agree, but only if it's good chocolate."

"You can tell the difference?" Draco couldn't believe his ears.

"Well, of course. Anyone with half a brain can tell the difference between waxy chocolate and wonderful chocolate." She cocked her head at him. "Did you think I only had a quarter of a brain?" she teased.

"Well, I was wondering, but I will wonder no longer. How do you make this, exactly?"

"I heat milk over the fire, then when it steams, I add little pieces of chocolate."

"Milk? Really?"

Hermione laughed again. "Well, of course. What did you think I would use, butterbeer?"

"Well, most people use pumpkin juice."

Hermione wrinkled up her nose. "That sounds kind of disgusting."

Draco replied, "Well, it depends on the quality of the chocolate and how warm the juice is when it's added. Sometimes, it's not so bad, but it's definitely better than when people just use water." Hermione pulled a grotesque face. "Well, yeah, it tastes about as good as it sounds." Draco chuckled. "You know, if you don't stop it, your face is going to be stuck that way."

That caused Hermione to snort. When she heard what came out of her nose, she broke out in peals of laughter. "Shut (laugh) up, you (laugh)." Draco was now laughing so hard, he was grabbing his stomach. He nearly slipped off his chair, which caused Hermione to laugh even harder. She snorted again, and Draco bent over double. This amused Hermione further until her brain caught up with her. _This is DRACO MALFOY. This jerk tried to make your life hell for seven years. This is the first time you've seen him in years and the first thing he does is proves he's still the same little dillweed you grew up with. Not two hours later, you've sang with him and now you're _laughing_ with him? Have you LOST YOUR MIND?_

_No,_ she replied. _I know exactly where my mind is. It's giving me a lecture, and I'm about ready to kick it in the face. This is the best I've felt in I don't know how long, and you're trying to ruin it for me. WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?_

Draco noticed Hermione wasn't laughing anymore. She still had a smile on her face, but her eyes were devoid of all emotion. They sort of reminded him of his mother's blank eyes after she died. _Dammit, where did that come from? I was doing so good... I actually almost forgot. _He abruptly quit laughing, feeling slightly ashamed of himself. _No, I am tired of feeling like that. I will NOT feel things like that anymore. I've done nothing wrong. I'm simply enjoying time with a friend._ He tried that out in his mind. A friend. He hadn't had one of those in... well, quite a while. Blaise had gone and gotten himself thrown in Azkaban, which he promptly escaped from, but no one had ever heard from him since. Yeah, he was allowed to have a friend.

Hermione suddenly became aware of the silence. In an attempt to break it, she asked Draco if he wanted more hot chocolate. He looked up and she saw a strange look in his eyes. It made her slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes, actually, I'd love more."

Hermione jumped up from her chair and took his mug, along with her own over to the fireplace. She ladled more of the delicious drink into each of their cups and walked back to the table. Draco still had that strange look on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"What what?"

"What's the look on your face for?"

"Well, I've been thinking. After tonight, what with the, well, everything that happened, I was wondering..."

"What?" Hermione didn't know where this was going, but she wasn't sure she was going to like it.

"Would it be okay if I called you my friend?"

Hermione didn't know what to say. She was shocked. _Malfoy? Friends? With me? Well. Hmm._ "I don't know," she replied honestly.

"Well, if you don't want to, just say so." Some of the attitude Draco had always given her was now present in his voice.

"A lot's happened tonight. You've had a really long day, and... I don't know. Let me sleep on it, okay?" she asked.

Draco sighed. He _was_ tired. Maybe this was all just a figment of his imagination. He thought he had found someone that might understand him. Maybe it was just the chocolate talking. "No, never mind. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Hey, wait. Please don't be like that. We kind of _did _share something. I just need a little time to think it over. I can tell you I'll be nice to you, though," she said with a trace of a smile.

_That's probably the best I'm going to get tonight._ "Fine, whatever." He was done talking about it. Either she would or she wouldn't. He wasn't going to make her. He took a sip of his drink. "What kind of chocolate do you use?"

"Well, it's hard to come by, and it's not exactly cheap, but it's wonderful. It's called Frango chocolate. The first time I had it was in the United States." She continued to talk about it for a bit. They ended up having a discussion about the merits of various kinds of chocolate they had each tried over the years.

About an hour later, Draco was feeling quite drowsy, and had drank the last of the chocolate. The two sat near the fire in a comfortable sort of way. He looked over the table at Hermione, who had dozed off. Her hair was spread about her head, covering the parchment she had been taking notes on. It didn't look like the position she was in was very comfortable, so he walked over to her chair and picked her up. She didn't make a noise, just snuggled into his chest. He felt a pang of some unidentifiable emotion, which he pushed away to examine later. Much later. He was tired of this slew of feelings that had suddenly popped up. So instead, he made his way upstairs to lay her down.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he paused. _Where is her room? Oh, shit. Now what?_ He decided he'd just put her down in the room he had been in earlier, since he knew no one else would be in there, then go look for her room. He'd just come back and get her when he found it. Satisfied with his plan, he made his way down the hall.

He laid her down without waking her up, which was a miracle in itself, since he was not the stealthiest (is that even a word?) person he ever met. He had nearly knocked her head on the wall three times trying to get the door open, then accidentally dropped her on the bed. She just rolled over and curled up.

_She looks so peaceful. I'll just leave her here for tonight. She'll find her room tomorrow when she gets up._

That left only one problem: where was he going to sleep? _I'll sleep... somewhere. I saw a couch downstairs. It shouldn't be too bad for one night._ He thought he better pull the blankets up over her so she didn't freeze during the night.

When he bent over, she rolled over and her eyes cracked open. She focused her eyes on him before asking, "What are you doing in my bed?"

He just looked at her. "I'm not. You are in _my_ bed."

She peered at him for a minute. "Okay. Well, I'm not getting up, and I'm definitely _not_ allowing you in my room. You can stay in here. I won't tell." She yawned and rolled over.

He stared at the back of her head for a minute. _What?_ She didn't know if she wanted to be his friend, but had just invited him to sleep with her? _What the hell?_

She rolled back over and looked at him from tired eyes. "Well? You getting in or what?"

A/N: Wouldn't you like to know? Ha ha ha, another evil cliffie... I am the Goddess of evil cliffies. I am also the Goddess of Warm Crusty Rolls and Delicious Chicken Gravy. Don't ask.

Why are there donuts left over? Eat up or they'll get stale! (licks her fingers) Oh, shit. I have to clean my keyboard. Okay, you know the drill.

Stickily,

-Kat   
P.S. Too late, donuts are gone. The bf ate them all. However, if you go to my other story, there might still be some left... nudge, nudge, wink, wink


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews; it made my day. Happy times.

I haven't been putting a disclaimer in, so, um, I disclaim the characters, etc., but I like the plot, so I'll actually claim this one. Hehehe... okay.

Now, I have another question for y'all. Should I continue to put Pansy's little comments in here, or should I just pretend she dropped off the face of the planet? I'd actually like to do that, but for other reasons. The chapters have been going along a lot smoother since she quit tossing her comments in every three seconds. Let me know, eh? Okay, here's the story. Smooches.

Draco didn't know what to do. _Should I get in? It IS my bed, after all. But what will she say in the morning? Will she even remember? What does she want me to do?_ Questions tumbled around in his head for a few seconds until Hermione's voice broke through again.

"Malfoy, I am tired. You are keeping me awake. Make up your mind so I can sleep, would you?"

That helped Draco make up his mind. _She called me Malfoy, not Draco. She doesn't want anything from me; she's just being nice again. Why not?_ He cautiously picked up the corner of the blanket.

_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? This is Mudblood Granger we're talking about. That is disgusting. What the FUCK are you thinking? You're not considering it, are you?_

_Actually,_ Draco replied to himself, _I am._ Feeling slightly reckless now, he slid underneath the blankets and slowly laid down on the far edge of the bed. He didn't want to disturb Hermione any more than he already had. He remained there, staring at the ceiling, for what felt like hours. The bed was slowly getting warmer, and Draco became drowsy. He felt his eyes closed and slipped into sleep.

- - - - -

Next to him, Hermione was half awake. She would have been asleep fifteen minutes ago when Draco climbed into bed, but her subconscious wasn't letting her get any rest. _ARE YOU INSANE? Inviting DRACO MALFOY to share a bed with you? What the FUCK are you thinking? You don't know him. He could try to kill you, or rape you, or both, or- _

_No, I don't think he will,_ Hermione thought. _If he feels safe here, which I believe he does, he won't do anything to put that safety in jeopardy. Besides, he and I are both fully clothed. I think I'd notice if he tried to violate me while I'm asleep._

She was still arguing with her subconscious when Draco hit her. She rolled over to face him, an angry question on her lips, when she noticed his eyes were shut, and his face was screwed up as though he were in pain. _Oh, he must be dreaming._ She watched him for a few more minutes. His face got paler, his hands clenched into fists, and he began to sweat. She didn't know what he was seeing in his dreams, but she knew the panicky feeling he would wake up with; the terror that would follow him through his waking minutes for the next few months, and the nightmares that might never stop. She still dreamt about the day Ron was murdered once a week and that day had happened over a year ago.

Suddenly, Draco sat straight up in bed, screaming. Hermione had been prepared for this. She didn't touch him, but spoke loudly in firm tones. "Draco, it's okay now, you're safe now. Calm down. It will be okay soon. Draco, calm down." She repeated this for a minute, until his breathing became more regular and his body began to relax. He finally seemed to have registered the fact that she was there and turned to his left to see her sitting next to him.

- - - - -

It took him a few moments to come out of his nightmare. He could almost see the limbs of his comrades flying across the empty yard; the screams were still ringing in his ears. The faces of the dead appeared one after another in his mind. He paused to look at what remained of his once strong father, then his once beautiful mother. Both his parents covered in blood; mates dying three and four at a time; fires and flashes of light from spells; all these and more slowly faded away into the night as he became aware of a sweet voice speaking his name. He turned and saw an angel sitting on the bed next to him. Her hair flowed down her back and around her shoulders. The light from outside the window fell across her face, accentuating her beauty. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight. She pushed him away a little to readjust herself. When she pulled him closer again, his head was on her shoulder, and she was pushing his hair away from his face, whispering calming words to him. He slowly relaxed, enjoying the comfort she was giving him.

_I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I'm grateful,_ he thought to himself. When he had calmed down, he realized that the arms holding him were solid and warm. _Angels aren't solid and warm, are they?_ He wanted to find out, but he was afraid she would disappear if he moved, so he asked her.

- - - - -

Hermione was doing her best to comfort Draco. She thought she was doing a pretty good job, because his breathing had returned to normal and he wasn't nearly as tense as he had been. She was also starting to feel pretty good about Draco as a person, since he had accepted her comfort, she being a Mudblood and all.

Suddenly, he spoke. "Are all angels as warm and solid as you?"

She didn't know what to say. _He thinks I'm angel? _"You think I'm an angel?" she asked.

"Well, aren't you? You look like one."

She didn't know what to say to that. "Draco, look at me."

He turned his head and looked up at her.

"Hermione? But – what – what's going on?"

"You had a nightmare, and it seemed like you needed some comfort. So I comforted you." She shrugged her shoulders.

He didn't say anything for a minute. Then, "Thank you."

She smiled into his eyes. "You're welcome."

He picked himself up out of her arms and lay down on his pillow again. She wouldn't admit it, but Hermione missed the weight of his head on her shoulder and the warmth of his arms around her waist. Instead, she busied herself with straightening out the bedclothes and fluffing her pillow. When she lay back down, she felt a long bump where her pillow should have been. It was Draco's arm. She moved to sit back up and started apologizing.

"Be quiet and lay down," Draco said to her.

"I, well, okay, I guess." She tentatively smiled at him as she settled herself on his arm. It felt... odd, but right, somehow, under her neck. There they lay on their sides, facing each other, for hours. Sometimes Draco talked about his nightmares; other times Hermione told Draco stories about her and Ron; they took turns reminiscing about Hogwarts; and after a while, they both drifted off to sleep.

XXXXX

The next morning, Draco awoke with a mouthful of hair. Confused as to whose it was, he pushed it out of his face and looked around. Squinting at the light beginning to stream through the window, he recognized the ceiling of the room he was in. It was in London, at Black's old house. He had come here yesterday... the rest of the day and night came back to him. He realized the hair in his face belonged to Hermione Granger. _Never thought I'd live to see the day that I'd share a bed with someone that wasn't a pureblood._ He smirked, then realized what he had just thought to himself. _I need to adjust my thinking patterns if I'm going to be staying here. If I don't, I'll be kicked out, then I'll be dead for sure._ At this, his life-preservation instinct kicked in, and he promised himself he'd behave today.

The hair suddenly moved away from his face. _I must have woken her up._ He held still, waiting to see what she'd do.

- - - - -

Hermione began to wake up, feeling quite warm. _I'm going back to sleep. It's too early to get up yet, anyway._ She could see the dawn's early rays through her eyelids and figured she had at least half an hour yet. Besides, she'd had the strangest dream, and she wanted to think about it before she had to get up and face the day. It had involved Draco Malfoy...

She rolled over and snuggled into her pillow. _What's wrong with my pillow? It's moving._ She cracked one eye open to see what the deal was. She was greeted with a strange sight. _I don't have a satin pillow._ She blinked and looked again. It wasn't satin... and it wasn't a pillow. It was a bare chest. She gasped and looked up into a familiar face. "What happened?"

"I got hot and took off my shirt."

"Oh." Hermione was remembering what happened last night. _So it wasn't a dream, then. Huh. Never would have thought I would end up in bed with Draco._

_Draco now, is it?_ Her conscience asked.

_Shut up._ "Did you sleep at all?"

"Yeah, a little, I think."

"I didn't bother you last night, did I?"

"No, you didn't. Actually, I think if you hadn't been here, I wouldn't have slept at all."

"Did you have more nightmares?"

"Yeah, but not as bad as the first one."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah."

They fell silent. Draco was thinking about how strange it was that this woman, whom he had tortured for so many years, could set aside her feelings to comfort him. _I didn't know there were actually people like that in the world._

Hermione was thinking about how strange it was that she, who had only slept in a bed with two other men– one being her father when she was little – could so casually jump into a bed with the man that had been the bane of her existence for seven years. _I didn't know I had it in me._

"Do you need to get up?" Draco asked.

"No, I've got another half hour or so before I need to do anything."

"Okay. Just want to stay here for a bit, then?"

"Do you want me to leave?"

"Actually, no. I don't." Draco was surprised that those words had come out of his mouth. He had never laid in a bed with _any_ woman just for the sake of doing so.

"Okay, then, I'll just stay here." They stayed there for a few minutes in silence, then Draco spoke.

"I think we should talk." _Did I really just say to a woman, 'We need to talk'? WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?_

"About what?" Hermione yawned.

"Well, about what I said last night."

"Which part?" she asked with a little smile.

He smiled back. "About calling you my friend."

"Oh, that."

"Yeah. So, uh, what do you say?"

Hermione paused. "Yes. After what happened last night, I don't think I have any choice in the matter."

Draco grinned. "Wicked."

A/N: So, there you go. No sex, no screwing around, just good ol' cuddling, as requested by reviewers. However, don't think that this is as far as it's going to go. There will be more twists to this story, I promise you. Just wait. More nudity, too.

Okay, hit the little button, go on, it won't hurt. It makes me feel pretty good, anyway.

With warm fluffy thoughts,

-Kat


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks for the multitude of reviews. It has made my day. I have one person I really need to thank.

parcheezie: I am SOOOO sorry I forgot you; how could I have possibly overlooked you? It was so very wrong of me to completely overlook a reviewer that has left me notes of support and love, and I apologize from the bottom of my coffee cup. I hope you feel better now. :D

I'd also like to apologize to those of you that have become addicted to this story. I will have to quit adding the crack. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Okay. Now, the story.

The two of them lay there in the bed for a few more minutes, just waking up. Finally, Hermione sat up and stretched. Draco finally got a good look at her body.

Her arms were long and well formed. Her chest seemed to be slightly bigger than average, especially for a woman of her small size. Her stomach was flat and smooth. _She doesn't look anything like I remember. Even her hair is different._

- - - - -

Unbeknownst to him, Hermione had actually found a spell that allowed her to change her hair color, length, and style at will. The only change she kept permanent in her hair was the anti-frizz spell. Her once bushy, wavy hair was now in permanent curls, like it was supposed to be. The only time she changed anything else about her hair was if she was undercover for the Order.

Hermione felt a pair of eyes on her. She observed his appraisal of her body through slit eyes. She knew she wasn't ugly, but she didn't often get looks like the one she was receiving now. _Maybe it's because I don't have my robes or a huge cloak on._ She thought about this for a minute, then decided to get her robes taken in around the waist a little. _It can't hurt, right? Besides, isn't that what that woman Erin Broflofski or whatever her name was did in that American movie? It seems to me that guys will tell you a lot of things if they're distracted by your body…_

Normally, Hermione was all about women's rights; about being viewed as a person not an object, fair treatment, et cetera; but sometimes it would be nice to get things, like information, without bending over backwards. _Well, maybe if I did actually physically bend over backwards… No, I'm above that. I can get whatever I need to with my brains._ She shook her head at herself in disgust.

- - - - -

Draco was starting to wish Hermione would quit stretching and just get out of bed. He, like a lot of men, got wood first thing in the morning. The sight of that smooth flesh, along with a picture of what she might look like unclothed in his mind, was not helping matters. If he had to stand up now, he wouldn't only be embarrassed, but she might be able to guess what he was thinking about. That just wouldn't do, not after she had just agreed to be his friend. What kind of friend would he actually be? _The horny male kind, that's what._ He smirked to himself. He had acquaintances that had fwb – that is, friends with benefits. It was more common than most people thought, actually. _I wonder what she'd say to that. 'Fuck off', probably._ He grinned. _I could do that, actually._

- - - - -

Hermione noticed the smirk on Draco's face, which was replaced by a grin. She had a few guesses as to what he was thinking about; after all, two of her best friends were guys. Not only that, but Ginny seemed to have an excessive amount of knowledge about that kind of stuff. _I don't know where she learned it, but it wasn't from me. I think she hangs out with Katie a little too much._ Katie Bell, who was a year ahead of Hermione at Hogwarts, had ended up marrying one of the twins. _George, I think._ Since Ron wasn't around anymore, Ginny had started hanging out with her brother's widow. Hermione could only assume, but since George was, well,_George_, he and Katie had probably done things Hermione hadn't even dreamed of. Since Ginny and Katie were sisters-in-law, they probably talked about a lot of things, like… well, you know. Anyway, Ginny had made a comment one day to Hermione that had started a conversation about all things male; therefore, Hermione was pretty sure she was correct about what she was thinking.

Hermione decided to make things easy on Draco and got out of bed without throwing the covers off, just slipping out from underneath. She padded around to the other side of the bed and across the hall into the bathroom. She needed a shower. She collected a towel and a washcloth, then stepped in under the warm water.

She washed her hair and her face, then got out. She grabbed the towel and wrung some of the water out of her hair. She was in the process of drying off her legs when the door opened.

- - - - -

Draco assumed Hermione would be downstairs making breakfast by now, so he turned the knob and pushed the door open. The sight of a long pair of legs and a great show of cleavage greeted him.

"Draco Malfoy! Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Hermione shrieked.

"Yeah."

"Why don't you, then?"

"I just assumed you'd be done by now."

"Could you please get out? I'm still naked here."

"Yeah, so?"

"So some of us normal humans have a little modesty, especially when around people they don't know very well."

"We agreed to be friends, right? So what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is we just agreed to it recently, and I am a woman, so I have more modesty than you. Please GET OUT."

"Fine, fine, whatever." Draco slowly turned around and walked back out the door, but not without another look at her breasts and a small glimpse of her booty. He grinned. _She's hotter than I thought._

- - - - -

_What a pervert! I didn't just walk in on him yesterday, so what makes him think he can just walk in on me whenever he wants? He knew I had gone into the bathroom, the jackass._ Hermione was a bit upset. _'We're friends now.' Well, I don't know what kind of friends he's had before, but I don't just flaunt my nudity to everyone I've ever met. What a jerk._

Secretly, though, Hermione was a little pleased. _Apparently he liked what he saw_. She grinned a little.

About ten minutes later, Hermione made her way out of the bathroom and up to her bedroom. She made to grab for what she usually wore: a pair of flare-cut jeans, a big t-shirt, and a set of robes. As she was pulling her panties on, she thought about what Draco had seen just a bit ago and decided to taunt him, maybe give him something to think about – her.

_Did I just think that? Show off for Draco Malfoy? What have I become? A harlot?_

_No,_ her conscience said, _just interested._

_I am not interested in Draco,_ she thought.

_Could have fooled me. If that's true, then why worry about what you're wearing?_

_Oh, piss off,_ she thought.

_Fine, be that way. You know, denial is the first step._

Hermione ignored that.

She rummaged through her clothes. She realized all she owned was t-shirts and jeans. _I need to get a life. Maybe then I can get some new clothes to go with it._

Instead, she settled for a red shirt and faded denim jeans. She shrunk the shirt just a little so it wasn't as baggy. She put on a pair of black boots with chunky heels instead of her normal tennis shoes. She also decided to skip the robes today, since she wouldn't be leaving the house and threw on a long black knitted sweater with a hood and a tie at the waist.

Looking in the mirror, she decided she liked what she saw. The mirror did, too, saying, "That's nice for a change. Why don't you dress like that more often?"

"Well, um, I don't know, really. Just never had much occasion, I suppose."

"Well, if you're dressing to impress, why don't you try a little makeup?"

"Oh, I don't look good with makeup."

"Nonsense, just a little, since you don't really need much."

"I suppose. What do you suggest?"

The mirror told her to add a little eyeliner to her upper lids, along with some mascara, and just a hint of a tawny colored shadow. She also put on a little lipgloss that made her lips look juicy. Satisfied, she turned to leave the room.

"Wait! What are you going to do with your hair?"

"What do you mean?" She had put it up in a bun to keep it out of her face while she made breakfast.

"Let it down. Comb it out a bit and let it hang down."

"But then it's in my face all the time," the ever practical woman said.

"Pish-tosh. Just do as I say and you'll have that young man drooling over you."

Hermione flushed a little. The mirror said, "Good, good, that makes you look much prettier." Hermione then stuck her tongue out at the mirror and turned to leave, shutting the door behind her.

The mirror chuckled to itself. "Ah, how Narcissa would roll over in her grave if she knew what I was doing with her son."

XXXXX

Draco stepped into the shower again. Even though it had been less than 24 hours since his last one, he still felt dirty. Not only that, but for some reason, he felt compelled to look his best.

He savored the way the warm water felt against his body, the way it ran down his chest and stomach. He stuck his face under the water and felt himself wake up. The thought about how the water would run down Hermione's body threatened to rise to the surface of his mind, but he pushed it away. He had just spent ten minutes thinking about how much he hated Harry Potter to get his morning wood to go away, and he wasn't going to spend another ten minutes on it.

He wet his hair and grabbed the nearest bottle of shampoo. He poured some into his hand and rubbed it into his hair. The smell of roses and violets entered his nose. _Oh, shit. Now I'm going to smell like flowers all day. Shit. Oh, well. It could be worse, I suppose. I could smell like mothballs or something._ He missed his mint-scented shampoo, but what could he do? He couldn't just Apparate home and get it; there were probably still Death Eaters swarming all over the place. _Maybe I could go buy some._ But that wouldn't work either; all his gold was at Gringotts, and his shampoo was actually only available in Muggle stores, which he was pretty sure didn't accept wizard money._Double shit._He rinsed the soap out of his hair, applied the conditioner, and washed his face while he let the conditioner set. He did a final rinse and grabbed a towel as he stepped out of the shower.

He was rubbing his hair dry when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he shouted. The door cracked open a few centimeters.

"Are you decent?" a feminine voice called.

_Ah, Hermione. Maybe I can torture her a little more._ "Yes."

She stepped into the room with her eyes averted, which was a mistake. The first thing she saw was his, well, you know. She turned a bright red. "Um, well, I, um… hey, you said you were decent!" she accused.

"Yep, I did. I am, too. Didn't you notice I've got socks on?"

"Hardy-har-har. That was sooo funny," she replied, sarcasm dripping off every word.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"I meant are you, um, covered up?"

"What else should I cover up?" he asked.

Hermione finally tore her gaze away to look at his face. "Well, you could start with everything between your waist and your knees," she said.

"Well, okay, I guess." He wrapped his towel around his waist.

Hermione looked quite relieved. "Um, I wanted to know if you wanted nuts, I mean, um… What do you want for breakfast?"

Draco couldn't help it. He laughed out loud. The look on Hermione's face, the bright red that had climbed into her face, her slip of the tongue, all of it was just too funny.

Hermione, on the other hand, thought it was terrible. She gave Draco a Look, which only made him laugh harder. The corners of her mouth twitched a little.

Draco finally caught his breath and answered her. "I don't eat nuts – for breakfast or otherwise. I do, however, like eggs and bacon, with hashbrowns and toast, and maybe some blueberry pancakes." Hermione just stared at him.

"Do I look like a house-elf to you? The only people here for breakfast are you, Tonks, and me. I am not making that much food for three people. Get real."

"That's what I usually have for breakfast, though."

"Well, that's too bad. Here, I am making breakfast, and I will do either pancakes _or_ eggs and hashbrowns. The toast and bacon is fine. You pick."

Draco had to take a moment to think about it. What he had asked for was a small breakfast, usually just enough for him. Why was she being so stingy? _Well, I suppose I could eat more later if I get hungry again._ "I'll do the pancakes, but only if they're blueberry. Otherwise, I like my eggs over hard and my toast light."

"That's fine. I can do that." Hermione turned and walked down the hall. It may have been Draco's imagination, but he thought she might be swaying her hips. _Is that just for me? 'Cause if it is, I'll have to tell her she's got a nice ass._ He smirked.

- - - - -

_I wonder if he noticed my booty,_ she thought to herself. She had never done it before, but Ginny told her if she swayed her hips when she walked away from a boy, he would 'sit up and take notice'. She realized what she was doing and what she was thinking. _Did I just show off for him? I really am becoming a-a-a harlot. Why? What is it about him that makes me want to act like a woman?_ She was confused.

She made her way to the kitchen, where Tonks was waiting. She had originally offered to make breakfast, but Hermione assured her she could do it. Tonks was naturally clumsy, but when she was tired – as she was now, she had just come off a double night shift – it was worse. Hermione just told her to sit there and have some coffee. It would cause the least amount of trouble.

"Hey, Tonks, would you rather have eggs or pancakes?"

"What kind of pancakes?"

"Blueberry."

"Mmmmm, I haven't had those since I left home. Dad used to make them on Sunday mornings sometimes. Pancakes, please."

"Okay, blueberry pancakes coming up." Hermione Apparated to the alley behind the closest fruit stand, where she bought blueberries, lettuce, and mushrooms. She still had this urge to be the best woman she could, so she was planning on chicken Alfredo for dinner. She didn't know if Draco liked mushrooms, but bought some just in case. She was also going to make a Caesar salad and some garlic bread. She was slightly annoyed with herself for giving into these urges to live up to his standards, but what the hey. She never did any other time; she might as well indulge herself. _Besides, I want to make sure he feels welcome here._

She stepped back into the alley and Apparated back to the kitchen. Tonks was attempting to make more coffee. Hermione knew because the kitchen smelled like burnt glass. She stepped over to the fire, made more, and put a carafe on the table. Tonks smiled her appreciation.

Hermione got a big bowl and started mixing the batter from scratch. Shortly after, she added the blueberries and started to place the mix on a griddle sitting next to the fire. She placed some bacon in the space between the pancakes. Next, she made some more hot chocolate.

Just as she was putting the breakfast on the table, Draco walked down the stairs, wearing the same clothes he had the day before. He sniffed the air appreciatively. "Whatever you're making smells good. Just don't burn it."

Hermione gave him a dirty look over her shoulder and made sure she burnt his toast. _So take that, you git._

The three of them ate until it was all gone. Draco let out a burp, expecting another dirty look from Hermione. Instead, she said 'thank you' and started to wash the dishes. "In France, that's a compliment to the cook, you know."

Tonks laughed. "Well, in that case…" and let out a long burp. Draco grinned at her. _She's not so bad, either._ The two of them engaged in a burping contest.

They only stopped when Hermione said, "Okay, so it was wonderful. Now stop before I throw up." The two at the table laughed.

A/N: Wow. That was a long chapter. Good for me.

Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I decided to do a chapter for each of my stories to appease y'all. Hope it worked.

-Kat

P.S. Pansy will make a short appearance in the next chapter, I think.

P.P.S. Has anyone ever read a book called _The Tao of Pooh_? It's great, and I highly recommend it.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I've decided to write one author's note per chapter, unless I have a big fuck-up and want to correct it. It should be sufficient.

First off, I would like to thank you all for your sympathies. I appreciate it. Smooches to all.

Someone asked about Draco and Hermione's ages. They are 23. I have no idea when their birthdays are, but, um, yeah.

It was also recently brought to my attention (a few nights back) that Blaise Zabini is actually a girl. I'm not entirely certain, and I haven't been able to check that fact on account of my cousin having borrowed my book – I think it was the first book – and she hasn't brought it back. Anyway, if that's true, then I apologize for making Blaise a boy, but after all it is my fic and I can do whatever I want. sticks out tongue Take that, all you nonbelievers.

Okay, okay, I suppose I should do the story now, huh? Hehehe, okay, here goes.

Hermione was still feeling slightly nauseous from the burping contest when she finished the dishes. She dried them and put them away. She was reaching to put the biggest plate in the top cupboard, where it belonged, but she couldn't. _Shit. I hate being short._ She struggled for another minute. Then she felt strong hands wrap around her waist.

She was so shocked she nearly dropped the plate. "What the hell are you doing?" she shrieked.

Draco lifted her up so she was on eye level with the cupboard. "I'm lending a helping hand," he stated with a cheeky grin.

_I don't think I've ever seen him grin before,_ she mused. _He should do it more often._ Out loud, she replied, "That is _so_ cheesy."

"Yeah, I know, but it had to be said." He smiled at her. "You know, you should probably put that plate away before I drop you." As he said that, he pretended to drop her, which caused her to shriek again. He caught her and lifted her up higher. "Actually, I was serious. I'm dead clumsy."

This made Hermione more uneasy than she already was from having his hands on her. She quickly put the plate away, but Draco didn't let go. "Okay, I'm done, you can put me down," she said, trying to twist in his arms so she could look at him. Unfortunately, she found out he wasn't lying when he said he was clumsy. He actually dropped her. Centimeters from the floor, he caught her again, thanks to his quick reflexes. She looked slightly paler than she had during the burping contest. She had unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck. This caused him to take a better look at her.

_I never noticed how pretty her eyes were,_ he thought to himself.

_That's because you never had reason to notice, seeing as she is a MUDBLOOD, you idiot._

_Go away. You are bothering me,_ he told the little voice.

So? You need to think about what you're doing. you idiot. You can't think that… thing is attractive. It's not allowed.

_Why not? Why can't I like whomever I want?_

_It's, um, well,_ the voice replied, _it should be a law._

_Ah, but you know the Malfoys aren't ones to follow the rules._

Oh, shut up.

Grinning slightly now, he picked Hermione up, carrying her like a groom would carry his bride over the threshold. When Hermione realized what he was doing, she started to squirm.

"I suggest you hold still unless you want me to drop you again."

Hermione quit squirming, only to realize he didn't need to be carrying her anyway. "Well, you can put me down, I don't think I'm going to be falling anywhere else anytime soon. Well," she added as an afterthought, "I don't think I'll fall anywhere unless you continue to hold me." She smirked at him.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Fine." With that, he dumped her on the floor without warning. She cried out when she landed on her booty.

"AAAAHHHHH, you pompous ass! You know I didn't mean drop me onto a hard stone floor, I meant put me down so I can walk on my own." She stood up slowly, wincing. She slowly stretched, making sure nothing was permanently damaged. When she determined all she was going to have was a sore butt and a bruised ego, she brushed the dirt off her jeans.

Draco stood transfixed by the sight in front of him. _Mmmmm. Wonder what I have to do to tap that ass._

_WHAT?!?_ The little voice screamed, but Draco ignored it.

XXXXX

Pansy was shocked and slightly disgusted. _Does he have to tell me every single disgusting detail? I don't want to hear him talking about _her_ ass like that._ She paused in her thoughts. _Well, now that he mentions it… NO, NO, NO, I did not just think that._ She shuddered a little.

Draco had noticed this little display of emotion dance across Pansy's face. _She complains about me being a pervert, but look at what she's doing._ He knew what thought had just run across her mind. He hadn't been her friend for fifteen years for nothing.

He noticed Pansy was mumbling something about having to go home. _So she wants to escape, huh? _

"I thought you wanted to hear my story, Pansy."

"Yes, well," she answered, flustered. "I didn't realize it was going to take so long, and I have to work tomorrow, and the dishes aren't done, and I have to –"

"Pansy. Shut up. You have house-elves. You have no dishes to do. Not only that, but you're a freelance editor and have nowhere to be tomorrow morning." He smirked at her. "If you don't want to listen, fine, just say so. You're a really bad liar."

Pansy flushed just a little. _Dammit. I don't want to hear anymore. It's just too gross._ "Okay, fine. I don't want to hear anymore. Happy?"

"Nope. You asked for it, now you're gonna get it." Draco watched her jaw drop. He knew he was being a prick, but he didn't care. _She brought this on herself._

"You're an ass."

"Yep. Sure am. Now, get something else to drink. I'm not done yet."

Pansy let out a sigh and ordered another tea.

XXXXX

Hermione felt like someone was watching her. She turned around and caught the expression on Draco's face. _What a pig. Can't I just be friends with a guy that won't automatically think I want to jump into bed with him?_ Well, she could tease him, anyway.

Moaning, she rubbed the left side of her butt. Her eyes fluttered, and she moved over to stand in front of Draco. She put on a pouty face and looked up into his eyes. "My butt hurts now. It's going to hurt all day. See what you've done?" She turned around, bent over slightly, and pointed at her booty. "If I was a little kid, I'd ask you to kiss it and make it all better."

She couldn't see, but when she said those words, Draco actually took a step forward to do just that. He wanted to touch that ass, and if that meant kissing it, so be it.

She heard his breathing become slightly ragged. _Okay, that's enough for now, otherwise he'll be jumping me in the hall._ She giggled to herself.

She stood up and continued rubbing her left cheek. As she did so, she turned slightly so she could see his face. His mouth was open and his eyes were staring at the motion of her hand grabbing and rubbing her butt. She couldn't help it; she laughed out loud.

- - - - -

Draco finally tore his gaze away from the round perfection that was her ass and looked up at her. He had a slightly dazed look in his eyes, which only made her laugh harder. He seemed to snap out of his trance and realized she had done it on purpose. _Oh, gods, am I really that attracted to her?_ Slightly embarrassed, he decided two could play at this game.

He took the two steps required to bring them face to face. He wrapped his arms around her and placed both hands on her butt and squeezed. He watched the laughter die on her face to be replaced by a look he couldn't readily interpret. Her hands ran up his arms and came to rest on his shoulders. Without warning, his heart started to pound. _Holy shit, I want her._ He was so into it at that moment that he didn't hear Tonks making her way back from the washroom.

"Well, I'll be going ho—OH, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll just be going now, I'll see you later." With that, she slipped out the door and slammed it shut behind her.

- - - - -

The slamming of the door seemed to shake Hermione out of her thoughts. She was so relieved; if they hadn't been interrupted, she didn't know what might have happened. She could guess, though. Strangely enough, the idea of snogging Draco didn't disgust her as she had expected. It was mainly this thought, that not only did the sight of him _not_ make her ill but also actually made her heart race, that made her tear herself out of his embrace.

"W-w-what do you think you're d-doing?" she stammered. _How dare he touch me? He's… he's… oh, shit, why did he have to touch me like that?_

- - - - -

"Helping your boo-boo feel better. Why, what did you think I was doing?" This was a complete and utter lie. He was feeling her up, plain and simple. Thankfully, though, Hermione hadn't looked at his pants, which would have pointed this little lie out in a second. He was starting to get a little irritated. He was running out of distracting thoughts to use to get rid of his pointing problem. He was going to have to start each morning with a really, really cold shower. Hell, if this continued, he might have to take a cold shower every half an hour or so.

Hermione saw the look on Draco's face. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

_No, I'm not okay. I want to bone you right here, right now, and keep doing it all day… maybe even all night._ He sighed. _Did I really just think that?_

Out loud, he said, "I'm okay, just a little uncomfortable right now." At least that was the truth. If his jeans got any tighter, he wouldn't be able to get them off.

He saw than same unidentified emotion run across Hermione's face. "I'm sorry. This… it shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry." She made to turn away.

He grabbed her arm before she could run. "Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong. It's normal for a woman such as yourself to be attracted to me." Which was true; occasionally, for no apparent reason, a woman would run up to him and beg him to take her. Depending on how long ago his last fuck was, sometimes he would accept; others, he wouldn't.

- - - - -

She couldn't believe what she just heard come out of his mouth. 'It's normal for a woman such as yourself to be attracted to me.'_ How arrogant could he get? The pompous bastard had no idea what he was talking about! That's not what I was thinking about at all!_

_Liar_, a voice in her head said.

Shut up. I hate you. I wasn't thinking about how smooth his chest looked, or how muscular he is, or the fact that we slept in his bed last night –

_Then how are you coming up with all these flimsy excuses so quickly?_ the voice asked.

I thought I told you to shut up. I'm not having this conversation anymore.

She voiced her thoughts. "You pompous bastard! How arrogant can you _get?_ I wasn't thinking about that AT ALL!" With that, she made to walk off again. Again, he grabbed her arm.

"Let go of me."

"No. I want to know what you were thinking about."

"Well, you're going to wait a long time, because I'm not telling you." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Okay. Have it my way." He picked her up and slung her over one shoulder. She started pounding on his back, yelling at him to put her down, knock it off, she meant it, he was going to have to face her wrath, etc. She didn't even realize where he was taking her until her feet ran into the door. If she hadn't moved to the side, her head would have been rammed through the wall. She heard the door click open and he walked into the room. He threw her on the bed unceremoniously and stood, towering over her.

"What were you thinking about?"

"I told you, I'm not saying."

"Wanna bet?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "If you think you can make me, go ahead and try."

He leaned over the bed, his hands on either side of her face. Her hair was fanned out behind her, leaving a dark auburn spot on the gray blanket. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips glistened in the sunlight still streaming in the window.

All thought flew out of his head when he looked into her eyes. He saw pain (he hoped he wasn't the cause of it), anger, and surprise, along with that other unidentified emotion. _Her eyes are brown,_ he thought. _They're… beautiful. She's beautiful._ The other voice was screaming in his head, but Draco neither knew nor cared what it had to say. He was busy. He slowly lowered his face closer and closer to hers.

- - - - -

She didn't know what he was doing. _Why is he getting closer? It's not me, is it?_ He was looking straight into her eyes. She looked at his. _I knew they were silver, but I never knew they were this beautiful. They kind of look like the silver lining of a storm cloud._ She lost track of her thoughts as his lips gently brushed hers. Her eyes opened wide.

_I meant to be attractive, not sexy._ He pulled back from her, eyes slightly unfocused. _Am I leading him on? Oh, what have I done? What do I do now?_

She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "Don't you dare say it."

She felt slightly confused. "Say what?"

"You were about to apologize. Weren't you?"

Hermione looked towards the floor. "So what if I was? I didn't mean for it to happen, and you're not the only one to blame. I could have stopped it."

His eyes lost a little of the shine they had possessed and turned darker. "You think that was a mistake?"

"Well, a little, yes."

"You're wrong. I never make mistakes." With that, he got off her and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Sorry it took so long to post the last chapter and this one. The site was down, for anyone who didn't know.

I actually had Chapters 10 and 11 typed on Thanksgiving Day (oh, p.s. hope y'all had a good Turkey Day!) and I wanted to post them, but, well, couldn't. So I waited, and waited… and waited… and now I can finally post! I'm so excited! YAY!!!

Now, just so y'all know, this chapter has sex in it. Yes, SEX. Finally. I was wondering when they were going to get around to it. It's not… well, it's a little graphic, but it's not rough. It's almost like fluff-sex. It's emotional for a girl's first time, so that's why. And don't get confused when he picks her nickname. It doesn't mean anything. Yet.

I also want to give a great big THANK YOU SOOO MUCH to the following reviewers for clearing something up:

From: Lyndsie Fenele: No, Blaise Zabini, the famous non-gendered person, is actually male. He's a wizard. According to the Harry Potter Lexicon, JKR had to tell the Portuguese translators, probably to clear up issues of gender that exist in Portuguese that don't in English.

The reasons I picked hers were: 1- It was the most succinct; and 2- it was first in my inbox. I would also like to thank blinknena182, The Bride Of Vegeta (Vegeta kicks ass, btw), Kara Black, JeanB, and especially the most loyal of loyal reviewers, hermyandron4evr (Leigh'sa) and slyswn28 (whom I don't know their name) for also pointing out the fact that I was wrong. Thanks.

I appreciate it a lot. I feel better now.

And here is my parting word for today: poo. hehehe!

Hermione lay on the bed for a while, trying to collect her thoughts. _What the hell?_ It was the only question running through her mind. It did, however, apply to most of the other thoughts jumping around in her head.

_What the hell was he doing? I'm Mudblood Granger. He doesn't want to touch me in case he gets cooties; so he wraps his arms around me, grabs my butt, and kisses me. What the hell kind of sense does that make?_

_What the hell was I doing? He's Ferret Boy Malfoy. He taunted me every day, for any reason, just because he's Pureblood and I'm not. Now he's complimenting me – and I like it. What the hell is wrong with me?_

_What the hell happened? He helped me, then he dropped me, then we flirted… and now I'm here alone. Just like always. _A song came to mind.

_All I want in life is to be happy (happy)  
__All I want in life is to be happy (happy)  
__All I want in life is to be happy (happy)  
__All I want in life is to be happy (happy)_

_It seems funny to me  
__How fucked things can be.  
__Every time I try to get ahead  
__I feel you're dead._

_I can't get ahead,_ she thought to herself. _Why bother? I'm just here to serve a specific purpose, and no one has mentioned happiness once in the last six years. _She remembered happier times at Hogwarts. Just being able to fight with Ron, though he was not the brightest crayon in the box, had at least made her feel a little alive.

With that thought, she realized the reason she was taunting Draco was so she would have someone to verbally and mentally duel with. They could yell at each other all they wanted, but they were on the same side now, so the sting had left the words. Then there was his intelligence. She had been the top of her graduating class, of course; but Draco Malfoy, slacker and troublemaker extraordinaire, was right behind her. He and she could debate issues and could come up with coherent arguments for whatever it was they were discussing. Besides that, he was fun to be around. He shared her interest in music and chocolate.

_Wait. Wait_ _just a minute. Am I listing his redeeming qualities? Why? He was my enemy for so long. I know he's changed, but…_ She was confused. _Why do I care so much?_

- - - - -

Draco shut the door behind him. _What's going through that mind of hers? Why would she apologize for taking something she wanted… especially when I was obviously willing to give it?_ He sighed in frustration and leaned against the wall just outside the door. He wanted to talk to her when she came out of his room. _Shit. Not only do I smell like flowers, but my bed will too if she doesn't get off it. How am I supposed to go to sleep then?_ He shook his head.

He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. His head dropped into his hands. _Shit. Not like my life wasn't fucked up enough when I got here. This sure as hell isn't helping. Romantic entanglements always fuck things up even worse than they already are._ He was thinking about how he could get out of this predicament when his brain caught up to his thoughts. _Romantic entanglement, huh? Since when_ _did I become 'romantically entangled' with her? It's barely a friendship… I'm the one that kissed her. It was… it was… oh, um… _He didn't know what to call it. He had told her it wasn't something to regret. He knew he didn't. He also knew, however, that it had been unexpected, especially given their past. _Oh, Merlin. Does she think I forced myself on her? I didn't… did I? I didn't mean to, it just… happened. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT. _SHIT! SHIT! _I've got to talk to her._

XXXXX

Pansy was in shock. _He fucked up. I can't believe it. The Prince _Fucked Up._ Capital F, capital U. Damn._ She ran her finger around the edge of her teacup and watched Draco's face. It was smooth, without emotion. It was the same Draco she remembered, but… somehow, it wasn't the _real_ Draco. It wasn't the same Draco as the guy in the story, anyway. _Is it all a façade? Has he always worn a mask? I… _She didn't finish the sentence. What could she say? _Nothing. All I can do is sit here and wait for him to finish. I kind of wish he'd quit describing Herm – Granger's body in such detail, though. It's not making it any easier to sit here._ She sighed and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

XXXXX

Hermione was so lost in her thoughts she didn't hear the door open. Suddenly, Draco was hovering above her. She blinked and looked at him, making sure there was no emotion showing on her face or in her eyes. When he saw this, he looked a little uncomfortable. _Good. I've been uncomfortable, too._

He spoke. "Hermione," he sighed. Draco tried again. "Hermy, I –"

"Please don't call me that. I hate that."

"Oh, sorry." He gave a little bow. "What shall I call you?"

"I don't really mind. Just not Hermy or Mione. They both make me sick. I've heard enough of them both to last me two lifetimes." He frowned. Mione was his next suggestion.

Hermione felt the bed sink down as he sat on it. He was quiet for a few minutes. Finally, he spoke.

"Okay, I've got it. How about Violent H, since you keep hurting me all the time?"

She looked at his face. He had a cheeky grin on his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes. She realized this was his way of trying to break the ice with her. She gave him a half-smile. "No. That is stupid."

He faked a look of hurt. "Did you just call me stupid?"

"No, if you had been listening, you would have heard me tell you that your idea was stupid." She still had that half-smile on her face.

"Oh, well, I guess that's okay, then," he said sarcastically.

Her smile got a little broader. Draco took this as a good sign and was quiet for a few minutes while he pondered the problem. "Okay, how about Herms?"

"Hell no."

Draco's grin spread with this answer. "I'll take that as a maybe."

Hermione threw a pillow at him. He caught the pillow and threw it back at her. She hadn't been expecting it and took it in the face.

She removed the pillow. "Oh yeah?" she challenged him.

"Hell yeah."

He ran towards the bed and tackled her. She shrieked and fell backwards. He had pinned the pillow between the two of them so she couldn't use it. He reached behind her and grabbed the other pillow and started to beat her about the head with it. She giggled and screamed while she used her arms to ward off the worst of the blows. Finally, she got a hold on the pillow and yanked it out of his hands. He was a little surprised, but not as surprised when she pulled her legs up, which sent him flying across the room. He stood up, but before he could ask the question, she answered him.

"I took self-defense classes at the gym. I am, after all, a woman, and felt the need to learn to defend myself from attackers." She grinned. "You were attacking me. I got you off me, and am now prepared to defend myself." She threw him a pillow. "Now we're on even footing. Ready?"

He didn't answer, just ran at her. She kicked at his leg, which sent him flying back to the floor, got on top of him, and started beating him about the head. He finally gave up. Both of them were flushed and out of breath from laughing so hard. Draco took advantage of the fact that she had let her guard down and flipped her over onto her back. She laughed again. "That hurt, you know. This is a hard floor."

"Let me make it up to you." He picked her up and put her on the bed. She sighed and looked up at her captor. She didn't even notice this time when his eyes unfocused, and was once again surprised to find his lips on hers. This time, though, it wasn't just a light touch. It was full on, firm contact. She froze. She didn't know what to do. _You know what, fuck it. I'm going to take charge of my own happiness._ She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

- - - - -

Draco couldn't help it. Looking down at her flushed face and heaving chest, he was so turned on he didn't even realize he was going to kiss her until he already was. _Her lips are so smooth._ He was about ready to pull away when he felt her arms snake up over his shoulders and pull his head closer. _Oh, shit. _There was no going back now.

He turned his head to have better access to her mouth. She parted her lips and touched his tongue with hers. He growled at her. He began to duel with her tongue, trying to stake his dominance. She put up a good fight, but he was willing to bet he had a little more experience with these matters than she. Slowly, her hands loosened their grip on his head and started to travel down his back, tentatively at first, then stronger when she gained confidence. He rolled her to the side so he could trail his finger down her spine. She shivered at the contact. He made his way to the bottom of her shirt and slid a hand up the back. _Her skin is so soft._ He wanted to take her shirt off and feel the press of her flesh against his. He decided to bide his time, however, when he thought about the last man she had loved. He didn't want to rush her; besides, this felt really, really good. He wanted to savor the moment as long as he could before she broke it off.

- - - - -

Hermione felt his hand make its way up her back. She could feel his fingernails grazing her skin, giving her goosebumps. _His hands are so warm,_ she thought. He roller her over so he was on top again, and she felt his erection. _He wants me._ The mere thought that someone would want her, knowing her faults and shortcomings – he had spent seven years tormenting her about them, after all – and still wanting to share this kind of intimacy with her caused her blood to course through her, sensitizing her skin to the slightest touch. She wanted to move faster, so she deepened the kiss. She ran her hands down his back and pulled his shirt up so she could feel his flesh. She traced the outline of a scar on his shoulder blade and felt him shudder. She didn't want to stop kissing him, but she wanted to take his hoodie off. She debated for a second, and then decided breaking the kiss was worth it.

She pushed him away just enough to grab the hem of the sweatshirt he was wearing and pull it up. He pushed himself up onto his knees so he could pull it off quicker. Hermione also pulled her shirt off. Draco just looked.

She wore no bra; she had no need to. Her breasts were firm and round. They sat heavily in his hands. Her nipples were a soft pink and were already hard with her desire. He leaned down and licked one. She gasped; it was such a strange feeling, the warmth and moistness coupled with the rough feeling of the buds on his tongue drove her wild. He finished and moved to the other side, where he ran his tongue around the nipple and left a wet trail all the way up to her neck. He bit it gently, causing her to gasp again and arch her body up into his. _Merlin. Why… why haven't we done this before?_

- - - - -

Draco couldn't believe how even the lightest touch drew such a reaction from her. Normally, he liked it rough and so did the women he was with; this angel, however, deserved his most gentle ministrations. Every time she moved, every time she touched him, every sound she emitted; they all made him hotter and harder. He couldn't ever remember wanting someone so bad. He didn't know how she did it, but he also didn't care. Right now the only thing he cared about was shagging this earthly angel. _My angel,_ he decided. She would be his and his alone – no one else would know that her mouth tasted like chocolate; that her body was perfect in every way; the sounds she made for him when he ran his tongue around the outside of her ear.

He hadn't even taken her pants off yet, but he had a feeling this would be the best lay he ever had.

He reached for the button on her jeans; the jeans that had showed her rounded ass off to perfection, and now showed the creamy skin all the way down to her pelvic bone. He inhaled at the beauty of it. Suddenly, she started to squirm.

"What, love? What is it?"

"I – I – I've never… never done… this…" she trailed off.

Draco was utterly shocked. _She's a virgin? Why?_

"It's okay, love. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"What?"

Draco thought back quickly. He chose his words carefully this time.

"What I meant was, um, what are you embarrassed about?"

"Um, well, I've never been this… _naked_ with anyone before, and I've never done… _it_… either."

"I'll show you. I will be as gentle as I can, but it will hurt a little the first time." Hermione nodded; she knew this. She had read about it in a book.

"Okay."

"Hermione, love, I have a question for you."

"What?"

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"No." Draco looked a little crestfallen, until she spoke again. "I'm going to do it, though. I can't think of anyone I would trust this to more than you." She smiled gently at him.

Draco couldn't believe his good luck. _I'm her first, and she chose me over the Boy-Who-Won't-Die?_ He grinned down at her. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"I think we need to take off the rest of our clothes."

"That's a good place to start, love."

Hermione blushed as Draco pulled her jeans down, leaving her in her little red satin thong. He looked at her legs, at her stomach, at her face. "You're beautiful."

That comment gave her the courage to lift her hips up and remove her thong. She was now completely naked in front of the man that had been her enemy for so long. _Opposites attract, right?_ She grinned to herself.

- - - - -

Draco couldn't believe his luck. _She's mine. All mine. How much better can it get?_ He was staring at her body. Her curves were perfectly proportioned, the lines of her arms and legs were sleek, and her beauty outshone the sun. Suddenly, he realized he was still clothed. He quickly tore off his pants and threw his boxers to the foot of the bed on top of her clothing. He climbed on top of her and kissed her again. She returned the kiss with as much passion as she could muster. He felt her hands run up his back, through his hair, and make their way down to his ass. She raked her nails across the sensitive skin, raising goosebumps.

He finally broke the kiss, looking her in the eye. "Are you sure?"

She hesitated for only a fraction of a second, then nodded and replied, "Yes."

That was all he needed to hear. He moved to her side and slowly kissed his way down her torso, gently nipping here and there, leaving a wet, red trail from her neck to her belly button. He rested his head there as his hand wound its way through her tightly coiled hair between her legs. He gently touched her clit, which caused her to gasp. He smiled and touched it again. This time, she let out a moan. He slowly slid in one finger, feeling how hot and wet she was. He removed his finger, which she protested with a whine, then slid in two fingers. She tensed, and then as he worked them in and out she began to relax and moved with his rhythm. Slowly, he withdrew his hand. She whimpered and whispered, "Don't stop, Draco." He shivered a little when she said his name. It seemed to roll off her tongue as though she had said it a thousand times before.

"I must, if you want to experience the real thing, love," he whispered back. She opened her eyes to watch him as he crawled back up the bed. He climbed on top of her and positioned himself at her entrance. He slowly pushed his way in, a few centimeters at a time, pausing occasionally so she could become accustomed to his size. He had never seen another man's cock, but from what he had heard, he was bigger than average, which was why he went slowly. She, being a virgin, was tight. He didn't want to hurt her anymore than he had to.

She suddenly tensed. _This hurts._ She looked up at Draco, and he told her, "This is the worst part, love." He pushed through her barrier. She cried out, closing her eyes, biting her lip to keep herself from crying. He held still as long as he could, then began moving slowly inside her. He watched her face. Slowly, the discomfort faded away and was replaced by a look of surprise, then pleasure. She opened her eyes again and looked into his. "This is… oh, Draco, this is amazing."

"I know." He leaned down and captured her mouth again, all the time sliding in and out of her, gradually increasing his speed. He watched her face, even though she had closed her eyes again. The look of pleasure was slowly being replaced by one of ecstasy. He had seen it before, on the faces of other women, but this time it was different. This time, he actually cared.

He reveled in the feel of her; the way her body moved beneath his, the feel of her hands as they slowly tightened on his shoulders, the silky feeling of her pussy gently pulsing around his cock. He realized she was getting close to her climax, which was good because he was, too. He was having trouble holding back.

Suddenly, she started to tense up. Her eyelids were fluttering, and her little gasps and moans became louder and longer. He felt her pussy get tighter and tighter. He finally felt her climax; her pussy clenched tightly around his cock, her body spasmed, and she dug her nails deeply into his shoulders. "Oh, DRAAAACOOOO!" The sudden pain in his shoulders finally brought him over the edge. He shot into her, filling her overfull. _That was the best sex I've ever had._ The thought stunned him. He had definitely had more than his fair share of women, but this little woman had been his best. He was so utterly amazed, he didn't realize he was lying right on top of her.

- - - - -

She was so amazed. She had never dreamed anything could feel this… wonderful. It wasn't the right word, but she wasn't sure there were enough words in the English language to express what she was feeling right now. It was like she was more relaxed than she had ever been in her life, but at the same time was so alert she could almost tell what Draco was thinking. Everything that was wrong with the world and everything that was right with the world faded into nothing as she lay under Draco.

She suddenly realized she couldn't breathe. She called his name. "Draco. Draco. _Draco._" He finally looked down at her.

"Oh, sorry, love. I, ah, was caught up." He smiled at her.

She smiled back, then promptly burst into tears.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Yes, okay, the lovin' scene was cheesy. I know. That's why I put in the bit about it being fluffy. It was her first time. Just so you know, this chapter is going to be a little shorter than last, because there's less 'fluffy' terms about genitalia and stuff.

Anyway, yeah. Thanks for the reviews, I still enjoy reading them, even though it takes almost as long to read them as it does to write the chapter. Actually, it's kind of flattering.

Here I need to do some more shameless plugging. I am beta reading two stories, and one is for the Dracolov contest. That one is by kitty253, and it's coming along quite nicely. Please read it. The other is called 'The Given Choices', and I'm not sure what name it's under anymore, it's either thefamilystory or Jesstina Malfoy. Give them both a read, and review away, please.

Okay, I suppose I'll do the story now.

Pansy was a little, well okay, a lot disgusted. _He slept with her. Ew. Not only that, but she cried. What's her problem? No one else ever cried. They were all ecstatic that they had 'conquered' the Prince of Slytherin. What a pussy._ Pansy took a sip of her tea, stole another cigarette, and tried to listen to the story.

XXXXX

Draco looked down at her in concern. "Why are you crying?"

"I-I-I don't k-k-know!" she wailed.

Draco hated to see girls cry. "You can tell me, okay?"

"This wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to be MARRIED, or at least do it with a guy that I loved," she sobbed.

That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. He was used to things like 'Oh, that was wonderful' and 'You're so good', not 'I'm pissed that this happened'. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

"It's OKAY?" she shouted. "It's OKAY that I slept with a guy I've only been on decent terms with for less than a day? It's OKAY that I don't even know if I particularly like you? It's OKAY that this happened? WHAT, EXACTLY, IS OKAY ABOUT THAT?"

Draco sighed inwardly. _I really need to learn to talk to girls._ He wasn't used to being bad at, well, anything, so he was also a little annoyed.

"I didn't mean it like that. I only meant-"

"You didn't mean it 'like that'? Well, how did you mean it, then?" Tears were still running down her face, but at least she wasn't whining anymore.

"All I meant was it's nothing to be ashamed about."

Hermione was quiet for a minute. When she looked up, he realized that he had stuck his foot in his mouth again. "Ashamed? Why would you think I was ashamed?" Her voice was low and very, very quiet.

"What else am I supposed to say? You're angry that you did it, you don't like that you did it with me, and you're bawling. What am I supposed to think, that I suck and it's all my fault?"

Hermione pulled the gray blanket up across her body, shoved Draco off the bed, and told him, "Get out."

Draco was stunned. "What?"

"I said get out. I don't want to see you right now. You are such a rude, arrogant, disgusting, boorish PRICK that I can't even stand the sound of your voice right now."

Draco became furious. "Look, it's not like I forced you. You said you'd do it, right? You said you picked me, right? Why are you pissed at me? I didn't do anything wrong. You're just pissed off because you're not Little Miss Perfect anymore. You've fallen off your pedestal into the realm of normal people who do things on the spur of the moment, and you can't stand the fact that you did. That is not my fault." With that, he picked up his clothes and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

_I can't believe it. She told me she wanted to. She told me she wanted me, too. I didn't hold a gun to her head. Why did she have to be like that? What the fuck is her problem? Why? WHY WHY WHY? IT IS NOT MY FAULT!_

_Is it?_

- - - -

_What have I done?_ Hermione couldn't believe she'd said those things to him. It really wasn't his fault. He was right. She had consented to sleep with him. She was pissed off at herself for giving in to a moment of weakness; she couldn't take it out on him. It wasn't fair, and she was all about fairness.

She lay in bed for a few minutes, before performing a cleansing charm on the bed and herself, then got up and dressed again. She checked her hair in the mirror and sighed. She performed a glamour charm to hide the puffiness of her eyes and the redness of her face. It just wouldn't do to announce to the world that she was no longer a virgin, that she had 'done the deed' with Draco Malfoy. She put a smile on her face and made her way downstairs to make some hot chocolate. It usually made her feel better.

_Maybe I should make some for Draco, to apologize._ She cringed at the words. It wasn't often she had to eat her own words. It was going to be especially difficult, since she had said it directly to his face, and knew she was wrong as she was doing it. What kind of person would she be, really, if she just went around and lied to people all the time? _Not a good one, that's for sure._

She had just put the milk over the fire when the kitchen door opened. A familiar woman with shocking red hair poked her head through the door and grinned at Hermione.

"Ginny!" she shrieked. "How are you? How have things been? I haven't heard from you in-"

"Three days, Mione. Calm down, already. I am fine, things are fine, and how about yourself?"

"I'm f-" she choked. She tried again. "I'm f-" _Oh, shit._ Years ago, Ginny and Hermione had put a jinx on each other so neither could lie directly to the other. Ginny knew this; it had caught her unawares many times before. Immediately, she became concerned.

"Mione, what's wrong?" Ginny ran over to Hermione, who was now sitting on a chair near the fire.

"Noth-, um, not a l-, um, shit." _What am I supposed to tell her?_

"It's not like you to lie, Mione. What's going on?" Ginny sounded really worried.

"I don't want to talk about it here. _He_ might come down and hear."

"So put an Imperturbable Charm on the door."

_Duh._ "Okay." When that was done, she added some chocolate to the milk, grabbed the entire cauldron, and brought it to the table and placed it in between her and Ginny. They each took a cupful, then Ginny asked her question again.

"What's going on?"

Hermione swallowed, trying to stall for time. "Well, see, it's like this. A guy we used to know showed up yesterday. He kind of went through a lot of shit and came here to stay. His family was all killed, along with most of his friends. I was the only one Dumbledore permitted him to see, so we spent most of the night getting to know one another. Then, this morning, I made breakfast-" Ginny let out a gasp; Hermione didn't like to cook. _It must have been a good night,_ she thought, grinning, "-and we, well, we did it," she finished in a rush.

_Wow. She doesn't normally do stuff like that. She must really like this guy._ "Anyone I know?" she asked, grinning again.

"-" was all Hermione could get out. She tried to say 'no', but that was a lie. "Sort of."

"Who is it?" Ginny asked.

"You don't want to know," Hermione said, knowing this was the full truth.

"Yes, I do… wait. You said I don't." Ginny knew what this meant, too. _She doesn't think I'm going to like who it is. Now I'm really curious._ "You know I trust your judgement, right?"

"Yeah, but you won't after I tell you who it was."

"So tell me already," Ginny said.

"WELL… it was… um… oh, I can't say." Hermione flushed. "He's really cute, actually, and he's kind of nice, and he likes chocolate, just like I do."

"Hmm. Tell me more," Ginny replied, intrigued.

"His hair is so soft, not like guy's hair usually is. He's really tall, and built like a statue. He's helpful, though he doesn't think before he speaks. It's almost like he's never had to have a conversation with a girl before," Hermione mused. She realized that was probably why he kept sticking his foot in his mouth. _Oh, shit. I'm going to have to put up with this for who knows how long… What did I get myself in to?_

"Doesn't sound like anyone I remember from school. What year did he graduate?"

"Same year as me."

"Tall, built, doesn't think before he speaks… Actually, sounds like it could be a few different guys."

"Well, you'd never suspect it was him."

"Just spit it out. I'm getting a little frustrated here."

"It's… it's… he's…"

"Standing right here, girls." He had an enormous smirk stamped all across his face.

Both girls spun around in their seats. Hermione flushed, not knowing how much he had heard. Ginny, on the other hand, had turned quite pale.

"Mione?" she asked, looking for confirmation.

"Ginny?" Hermione was trying to be nonchalant, like there was no problem, this was completely normal, nothing to worry about.

It failed miserably.

"Hermione Denise Granger, I need to speak to you RIGHT NOW. OUTSIDE, YOUNG LADY_." She sounds just like Molly,_ Hermione mused.

Hermione got out of her seat, grabbing her cup of chocolate. As she passed Draco, she told him, "There's more on the table if you-"

"I SAID RIGHT NOW!" Ginny roared.

Hermione jumped, a little frightened. She had never heard Ginny sound like that… ever. She ran out of the kitchen, up the hall, and stopped in the living room.

Ginny marched right past her and flung herself down in a chair near a window. She stared out the window, making Hermione even more nervous. _TECHNICALLY, I didn't do anything wrong. I'm a grown woman with a will of my own. It's not like I broke any laws or anything._

After about five minutes, Ginny turned toward Hermione. In a deep, quiet tone, she asked, "Well? How was he?"

Hermione looked at her, shocked. "What?" she squeaked.

"I want to know how he was in bed."

Hermione didn't know what to say. "Well, um, I don't know. I have nothing to compare it to. He didn't kill me, so I guess it wasn't too bad."

"When did you do it?"

"About half an hour before you got here." Hermione was getting a little angry herself. "Why are you asking me these questions? I'm a big girl, you know, and you're not my mommy. I don't have to answer you. Besides, why do you care?"

Ginny was quiet for a moment, then said, "I'm the last of my kind, then." Hermione was confused. Ginny must have been able to tell, because she clarified. "We used to be the only two girls from our years to not sleep with him. Now I'm the only one." She paused. "It's not as lonely as I would have expected."

Hermione was completely bewildered. _What's she going on about?_ "I don't understand. Does that bother you?"

Ginny finally looked Hermione right in the eye. "I'm kind of disgusted, but really, I'm proud of you."

_WHAT THE FUCK? Did I just say 'fuck'? Guess I did._ To Ginny, she said, "...Wha?"

"You finally did it. You finally succumbed to a Slytherin. They're awful charming when they want to be, aren't they?" Ginny asked, a wicked grin on her face.

"What?"

"Mione, I'm kind of irritated that you decided to give it up to Malfoy, when you didn't even do it with Ron." Hermione stopped. _I never thought of that. Maybe that's what's been bugging her._ "However, I'm really happy that you finally gave it up to somebody. You're probably the oldest virgin I know. Well, not anymore," she amended, "but it was almost creepy, you know?"

Hermione was stunned. "So, you're saying it was a… _good_… thing… to have, um, relations, with him?"

Ginny grinned. "Yep. 'Bout time, too. I was getting worried you didn't play that field."

Hermione's jaw hit the floor. "You thought I was _gay?_ _WHAT_ gave you that impression?"

"Oh, come on. The baggy clothes, the lack of boyfriends, that thing you had about makeup, all that."

"Ginerva, how—why—how could you think that? You're my best friend. Don't you think if I were I would have hit on you?"

"Yeah, eventually. I thought you might not be aware, that's all." Ginny was much calmer now, but still grinning. "You, by the way, need to realize what it was. It wasn't 'having relations', it was sex. S. E. X." Hermione flushed again. "Okay, how about shagging? Or doing the horizonatal mombo? Or was it vertical?"

"SHUT UP ALREADY! I get it, okay? Yeah, I screwed Draco Malfoy, okay? I did it, and it's done. Can we drop it now?"

"Well, as long as you've come to terms with-"

Suddenly, there was a giant _thud_ outside the door, followed by what sounded like a herd of elephants thundering down the hall.

Standing up, both women grabbed their wands. "Let's go see what's going on," Hermione said.

"Duh."

Hermione threw Ginny a Look and quietly tried to open the door. It wouldn't budge. "Dammit, what the hell…?" She threw her body against the door. It didn't move. "Stand back," she instructed Ginny. She aimed her wand out the keyhole and whispered, "_Reducto."_ The door swung open, revealing an unconscious form in a black robe with a hood over his head. "Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT."

"What?" came the whispered reply.

"It's a Death Eater. They're here for Draco."

"Oh, so now it's _Draco_, huh?" She whispered, giggling.

"GINERVA! There are Death Eaters here, looking for someone in the house. You and I are not safe. If we're caught, it's not going to be pretty. Concentrate, will you?"

"Yeah, I know. You know how I get when I'm nervous, though."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Let's go," she said grimly, hoping there weren't too many for the three of them to take on. _Hope someone else shows up, too. We're going to need all the help we can get._

They crept out of the living room, stepped over the Death Eater after putting an anti-Apparation jinx on him, and tiptoed to the stairs. Hermione peeked around the corner and saw… nothing. "Okay, let's go." She grabbed Ginny's hand and they crept up the stairs.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, they make my day. Sorry it's been so long since I updated, but things have been kind of poopy. I'm feeling a bit better now, though, so I will be updating more often. I hope.

Next chapter I will have chocolate chip cookies (without nuts), pumpkin and apple pie, and cheesecake. Please come back and have some.

The two women crept up the stairs quietly, wands out. The sunlight reminded Hermione of the day Ron died. _I can't let it happen again. I can't let another man die here because of me._

_It wasn't your fault last time,_ the little voice in her head said.

If I had been here… 

… _You could have been killed._

_Yeah, I know, but I could have saved him._

_Maybe you couldn't._

Hermione was tired of arguing with the voice in her head, but she couldn't help but think of all the similarities. That day, and today, she went to the market to buy food for someone. It was morning. Death Eaters. Grimmauld Place. The two menwere even staying in the same bedroom.

_The difference is Draco is a better wizard,_ the voice said.

SHUT UP! I'M DONE TALKING TO YOU! 

She shook her head, as if to clear it. She felt a little dizzy. The stairs started to swim in front of her face. Distantly, she could hear Ginny calling her.

"Mione. Hey, Mione. Hermione. HERMIONE." She suddenly felt a stinging sensation in her face. She blinked and looked at Ginny.

"What?"

"Snap out of it. You're okay. It'll be okay. Think about right now. Let's do this."

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded her head. "Let's go."

- - - - -

Draco was in the bathroom and heard someone thundering up the stairs. He quickly pulled his pants up and grabbed his wand. _What the hell is going on?_

He heard footsteps coming closer to the bathroom. They were heavy, so they weren't Hermione's or the Weaselette's. _Who the hell is it?_ Suddenly, a terrifying thought crossed his mind. _They found me. How'd they find me? Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT._ He whispered a locking charm at the door to buy himself some more time. _Who told them? It wasn't Hermione-_

"Hermione!" he whispered, a little panicked now. He had brought them here, he had put her in danger. She didn't deserve that. It was all his fault. She wasn't the only one, either. There was that redheaded little snot, too. _Is there anyone else here? Who else have I fucked things up for?_

The footsteps stopped outside the bathroom. He heard some muttering, then, "Find him. Do not let him get away. He must not be allowed to go free." _Double shit again._ He heard at least three of them in this hallway alone. "He's got to be in the house somewhere. Search every room. Right now, he's our main priority. Leave anyone else." _Well, the girls will be okay, then._

He climbed up on the sink so he could see out the window. Normally, he wouldn't run away, but he didn't think he could take on more than two Death Eaters at a time, and there were at least three on that floor. Not only that, but the girls could be hurt, and he didn't want to be held responsible for that. So, he looked for another way out. He sized up the window. He might be able to fit through it, but it was doubtful. His shoulders were too broad. _Dammit._ He'd just have to put an Enlargement Charm on the window and hope it would stretch to fit him. He whispered at the window, and a little jet of purple light shot out the end of his wand. The window looked a little fuzzy at the edges, which meant the charm had worked. He tried to slide the window open as quietly as he could, but it wouldn't budge. _"Alohomora." _The window didn't budge. Just as he was contemplating the idea of just busting the window out, the door burst open, allowing the three men in to the bathroom. He turned at the sound and nearly passed out at the sight.

"Well, well, well. A coward. What did you think you were going to do? Get away with it? You don't just walk away from the Dark Lord. If he weren't so busy, he'd be here to kill you himself. However, since that isn't possible, we're to take you in for 'questioning'. After that, you will be left alone for a while, not knowing when death will come. Then the Dark Lord will have the pleasure of erasing your pitiful existence. _Crucio!_" the hooded figure called. Draco was caught unaware after the sudden end to the speech. He fell off the edge of the sink into the tub, shaking with the pain coursing through his body. He didn't let out a sound, however; he was well used to this from his parents, who were both better at it than these three put together. He closed his eyes so he couldn't see the room shake around him.

His torturer lifted the curse. "Had enough?" he asked with a cruel laugh.

"I think he has," said a high-pitched feminine voice.

- - - - -

Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing. Draco wasn't making a noise; not only that, he didn't even look like he felt the pain. When the bastard using the curse lifted it, he laughed and asked, "Had enough?"

Hermione replied, "I think he has." He and his comrades whipped around to find two wands pointed directly in their faces. "However, I don't think you've had your share." Hermione, always a stickler for the rules, would never use an Unforgivable on someone else, no matter who they were. Well, maybe except for Voldemort himself. There were better ways to put a man through torture. She poked the one right in front of her in the eye with her wand, then took aim at the bastard that had been torturing Draco and shouted, _"Reducio!"_ He doubled over in pain. Ginny had cursed the Death Eater in front of her, then turned and used the same curse on the one Hermione had poked in the eye. Both of them were bound and gagged with their pants around their ankles.

Draco was so shocked, he was still laying in the tub. "Holy shit."

"Yeah. How many more are there?"

"I don't know, but there are more upstairs."

"Well, what do you say we go get them?"

Draco looked at her, surprise on his face. "Sure. Let's."

Before they left, Ginny put an anti-Apparition Jinx on all three of them, then they made their way towards the stairs.

The three of them were nearly to the landing when they heard what sounded like two more on their way down the stairs. They were arguing about something, and weren't taking any care to be quiet. Hermione looked at Ginny and asked, "Ready?"

"Yep."

They jumped on the landing, pointed their wands upwards, and shouted, _"Reducio!"_ Both of the men doubled over at the waist and fell down the stairs. When they reached the landing, one had passed out, but the other was still conscious, though he was vomiting from the pain.

Draco strode over to the one still awake. "How many of you are here?"

"Six."

He turned to the women standing at his side. "Did you find the other one?"

Hermione turned to Ginny, who grinned. "Yeah, we got him." Ginny put another anti-Apparition jinx on the two Death Eaters. She said, _"Locomotor Death Eaters,"_ who began floating down the stairs in front of her. "I'll meet you two downstairs. Go get the other three." Draco and Hermione nodded.

They retrieved the rest of the Death Eaters from the bathroom, levitating them down the stairs. Draco looked at Hermione and posed a question.

"Why were you using 'Reducio'?"

Hermione grinned evilly. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you point at their crotch, their cock shrivels up. From what I understand, it doesn't feel too good." Draco winced. "Of course, it doesn't work as well on women, but there are ways to put them in pain, too."

"Remind me to never piss you off."

"Don't ever piss me off," she said with another grin.

"Ha ha, very funny."

XXXXX

"Merlin. Did she really do that?" Pansy asked.

"Yep."

"Holy shit." Pansy was impressed against her will. _That is really evil. I never would have thought of that. Maybe she should have been in Slytherin. She certainly thinks like one._ She smirked.

Draco saw her smirk and read her thoughts. "Yeah, she would have been one hell of a Slytherin, wouldn't she?"

Pansy nodded her head in agreement. "That'd probably the only Mud-er, Muggleborn in Slytherin. Ever."

Draco nodded. "Especially now that she's a Malfoy."

Pansy had nearly forgotten. "Yeah, I guess you could have done worse. I mean, Merlin. I can't believe she would think of something that… painful."

"The pain isn't all of it. Try going pee when you don't have a dick." Pansy shuddered. _She definitely should have been in Slytherin._ "Their wives weren't exactly happy, either."

Pansy giggled and gestured for another cup of tea. "Speaking of pee, I'll be right back." She stood up and Draco watched her walk away. _She doesn't even know the half of it._ He smirked to himself.

XXXXX

Hermione, Ginny, and Draco made their way downstairs and gathered all six Death Eaters in the drawing room. Ginny lit a fire with a prod of her wand, threw a pinch of Floo powder in the fire, and stuck her head in, calling, "Headmaster's Quarters, Hogwarts!" After a minute, they heard Dumbledore's voice, slightly muffled due to the flames.

"Albus, we have six renegade Death Eaters at headquarters. What do you want us to do with them?" He mumbled something in response and Ginny pulled her head out of the fire. "He'll be here in a few with other me-, um, backup." Ginny had changed her original answer of 'members of the Order' because Hermione had sent her a Look.

Draco looked back and forth between them curiously. "What's going on here? Why are you so secretive around me?"

"You'll have to ask Dumbledore," Hermione replied.

"I don't want to, I already asked you. What are you hiding?"

"You don't understand. I, even if I felt so inclined, can not tell you what's going on. If I did, it would sound something like this: 'This is the Hermph mmf dr Erdhrpef Fffncks'."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Draco was starting to get a bit peeved.

"It means you need to have some patience."

"I don't want to. I want to know _now._"

"Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?"

"You're such a pain, Granger."

"You're such a ferret, Malfoy."

"Shut up. Don't call me that."

"Well, quit asking stupid questions and acting like a two-year-old."

"What if I don't want to?"

Hermione smirked. "Remember how you asked me to remind you not to piss me off?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you're pissing me off. Stop it."

"Oh, yeah, like you'd do anything like that," Draco scoffed. Hermione raised her wand.

Finally, Ginny jumped in between the two. "Knock it off, you two. Do I need to put you in time-out?"

Just as they were about to retort, there was a clearing of the throat behind them. They looked around and saw Dumbledore. "Oh, finally, I get some answers," Draco called. "What's going on here? What aren't you telling me? Why won't these two tell me anything? What-"

"Mr. Malfoy, I will explain in," he looked at his pocket watch with twelve hands, "fifteen minutes. First, I have some business to attend to." He gestured towards the huddle of men on the floor. "I will return as soon as I can." He smiled and bowed, then removed the bodies from Grimmauld Place and disappeared.

Ginny watched the two 'adults' in front of her sulking. Sighing inwardly, she said, "Why don't we go have a cup of chocolate?" Draco looked at her, a little light shining in his silver eyes, and Hermione glowered at her, sparks shooting from her deep brown ones. "Well, let's go," Ginny called cheerfully. She turned and left the room.

Draco made to leave right behind her, but Hermione held him back. "Why can't you be a little mature and act like an adult for once?" she hissed. "That was a stupid way to act, and uncalled for."

Draco had other things on his mind, like chocolate. "Fine, I'm sorry. Can we go now?" He sounded a bit impatient again.

"No, that's not good enough. You're just saying that. You don't mean it, and that isn't good enough."

"Well, that's all you're getting."

Hermione seemed to freeze. "Oh. Okay. Well, I guess you won't be getting _any_ until you apologize and actually mean it."

Draco didn't immediately notice what she said, he was so focused on getting some chocolate. "Yeah, whatever." A few seconds later, her words caught up to his thoughts. He stood rooted to the spot. "Any _what_, exactly?"

"You know what I mean."

"You mean no – no – " Draco looked horrified. "NO chocolate?"

Hermione looked at him, then burst into a fit of giggles. "Yeah, sure, that, too."

"What do you mean, _that, too_?" He seemed to be grasping for something else he would be denied. A light came on in his eyes, turning them a shining silver. "You can't mean – "

"Yep. I can, and I do. No screwing until you apologize, and mean it."

Hermione made her way down to the kitchen, leaving a stunned Draco behind her. _Serves him right, being an arrogant prat like that. I told him no, and he just wouldn't drop it, then he started calling me names. How childish is that?_

Draco stood in the hall for a few moments. _No sex? Just for asking her a simple question? What a pain in my ass. I don't need that. Screw her. I'll find out anyway. Dumbledore already told me he'd tell me what's going on. I don't need her._ He smirked. _I don't need anyone._


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hallo! Thanks for reviewing, everyone that has! While I get out my list of favorite people (digs around), please help yourself to some snacks. I've also brought milk, coffee, and hot chocolate, since it was such a popular request last time (read: TiNk). Feel free to munch while I acknowledge all the people who told me how wonderful I'm doing (and those that told me I'm nothing special).

slyswn28: I love you! You are a wonderful reviewer, leaving encouraging words and, well, everything. I have to know, though: How is it you're always the first to review my new chapters? I don't get it. Tell me please!

Char: I love you and your reviews, you, um, talented woman that is nauseated by me, and I like your stories, too, including the one on fictionpress called 'A Moment in Time'.

hermyandron4evr: Get online more often, you silly. I miss hearing your adoration, plus now I have no one to IM. I'll be waiting.

J.N.Cahill: I love your stories. I also quite enjoy the unasked-for plugs in your story. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Update your stories, too! And yes, I enjoy 'Reducio' on occasions also.

Snowy Winter Tales: I know you aren't reading this anymore, since you told me. However, if you do per chance happen to see this, know that I apologize that I can't please all the readers all the time. The reason Hermione is using slang is because this story is set in about 2002, when slang is more common, and I just can't see her talking about her 'ass'. It's too… dirty for her. I see her as the kind of girl that uses euphemisms because she's just not used to talking about that kind of thing. Besides, she hears enough of it from Ginny. Sorry you won't be reading anymore. Pity yourself for missing out.

InkedWallpaper: I luurrve you dah-ling! Cheers yourself!

cuznhottie: Sorry about all the evil cliffies; I'm not usually that evil, but now that you mention it, I did just recently receive a shirt that reads 'Lead me not to temptation – I can find it just fine by myself'. It's so funny, I wore it to my son's speech therapy appointment just to rub it in the therapist's face because she's so friggin' _Catholic_. I have no problems with Catholicism, as long as it isn't forced down my throat. Not that I don't believe in God, I just choose to show him I like him in my own way instead of countless, sometimes pointless ceremonies. However, this isn't the place for a religious discussion. I got off track. Back to the cliffies: I'll try harder to avoid them, but no promises. ;)

SlytherinGurl: Sorry to say, but you were outvoted by, I think, six to one, to keep Pansy. Sorry.

twin-v: Crap. hehehe

seeing green: I think it's a little dirty, too. hehehe

xx3amWriterxx: Yes, I think she should just, oh, die. At least I know it isn't just me. Thanks!

Alley Mack: Sorry you think the chapter(s) are too short. I can't please everyone all the time, and to be honest, I'm proud of the fact that they are a lot longer than the first… they average about 2,300 words, where as my first chap was 683. So, sorry, but they're probably going to be about this long.

The Bride of Vegeta: Still amused with your name… it's been a while, but that would be… Bulma?

Pink Opium: Rar to you too!

ever Dracos girl: I try not to be too evil, but sometimes it slips out, like the time I tossed in the crack – oh, I wasn't supposed to say that… oh, no… don't tell anyone about that, okay?

K: K!

alfabiteater: Thanks for reviewing all the posted chapters and reviewing EVERY SINGLE ONE. More people should take your cue (hint, hint, clears throat). I send you warm socks.

Lyndsie Fenele: Thanks for noticing about Draco being in-character; Pansy might still be a slut, I'm not sure, but she isn't after Draco's nuts; sorry about the first sex scene. Hope you like the next better. ;)

Kathe: Sorry (again) about the first sex scene. I will write another in this story (already did one in my other story) and hope it is better.

Kiyoko: Nothing special to say to you, I'm sorry, but I love the name!

The-Princess-06 AND sparklingbrowneyes: I love you both. You make me feel 'specialer' than I already am. Thank you.

krissygirl: Holy ! Thanks!

TakingBackSunday: (sighs in pleasure) Thanks for the confidence. How much more shall I give you until you WRITE ANTOHER CHAPTER?!? (hugs)

xBeautifulLetdownx: Ah, the praise of a first-time reviewer makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside… you're not the only one, but you did leave the longest review. Thanks, doll.

DeLeRiOuS aka CAPTAIN obvious: Are you even reading my story? I think I did that twice. Maybe.

SlytherinGurl176: Yeah, I'm all about torturing evil bastards. To be modest, though… oh, hell to modesty! It was all my idea, I did it, it's true, I had no help! I can be so smart sometimes! I like to play it up when I am, on account of it not usually happening. hehehe

magictrousers830: (snickers behind hand) hehehe

DeeCohan: Please don't burst, think about the poor guy that's got to clean that up ; )

kaiba3: Are you the Kaiba from the animated show I'm thinking of, including some cards and monsters? If so, I hope you're the elder, 'cause he's kind of cute (though he has _nothing_ on Tom Felton) not the little boy. If not, sorry, I'm mistaken.; )

ALSO TO: spychick989, dithering-prat (a loyal reviewer for the most part, who gets an extra hug), Fallen4HPTF, jezebellerd15, SaTiNk06 (again),i own u eddie stack, parcheezie (another good reviewer), x g r e e n e y e s x, x3near-perfection, Long.Past, nooneinparticular, sallymander, sailor101, Sarah-Lynn, DrAcOsUsAgAl, shimby, Amanda Tuck, blinknena182, Kara Black, Jean B, Elizabeth223, merry247, callista, babygirl1832z, charmed piper (whom also gets an extra hug for reviewing BOTH stories), AquaCherry66, Carla Fox, piperhaliwellwyatt, sunnysweetie, possumgurl, sally, choccygirl223, denise4, bleezie, Bodo, shimby kori, and xoxobriTtanyxoxo13 (I think you need to calm down, and if I'm not mistaken, you aren't seventeen or older, and this is rated 'R'… though it isn't so far doesn't mean you can just ignore the rules… okay, not that I can do anything about it, but you seem a little too hyper, judging from your penname): thanks for your support, well wishes, and love. I do appreciate it, just wish it came… more often… maybe… please?

**OKAY THE STORY STARTS HERE!**

The three of them were just getting settled with their drinks (true to word, Hermione had refused to give Draco any chocolate, so he was having a butterbeer) when Dumbledore arrived. His face looked a little pinker than usual, but his hat was on straight and he had the twinkle in his eye. All three stood up as he walked to the table.

"How is everyone doing today?" He looked around the table. Ginny appeared to be the only one not annoyed at something. She had a benign smile on her face and was looking at the wall. Hermione's brow was furrowed, as though in thought, and Draco looked like there was a little raincloud raining on him and him alone. He sighed inwardly, then cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Well, the men you caught this morning are now sitting at the Ministry, awaiting trial. They will not go to Azkaban until they have been sentenced. Now, I understand there are a few things that need to be cleared up. Am I correct?" He looked at Hermione, who wouldn't meet his eyes; then Draco, who looked as though he was about to explode from excitement.

"Mr. Malfoy, would you like to have your questions asked as you answer them, or would you rather I tell you the entire story, then give you time to ask any additional questions you may have?"

Draco blinked, looked at Dumbledore, and said, "The story, please."

"All right. It starts over almost thirty years ago. Voldemort was on the rise, and the Ministry was doing all they could, but nothing seemed to be working. A group of wizards and witches decided to band together to fight against the evil that was attempting to take over our world. We called ourselves the Order of the Phoenix. Basically, we spied. We gathered information when possible, passed some on to the Ministry, and also took some matters in to our own hands. Some members, such as the Longbottoms and Alastor Moody were Aurors, and they were prominent members of the Order. However, we were outnumbered and were being killed slowly at first, then more and more often. We were losing hope when Harry Potter happened. All of a sudden, the immediate threat of death was gone, people were coming forward, and we were discovering more and more Death Eaters every week. Things became much safer.

"That was twenty-two years ago, when Voldemort fell. You were only a year old, if I recall correctly." Draco nodded. Most of this he already knew, his father and other Death Eaters had told him. "Things went back to a kind of… blissful ignorance. People were so relieved they wouldn't have to worry about coming home to a Dark Mark over their homes, they almost completely forgot the kind of terror our entire world had been living in. Then, at the end of your fourth year, Harry witnessed Voldemort being reborn. Voldemort –"

"The Dark Lord meant to kill him, but it didn't happen. He went back and told you, which really kind of sucked for him."

"Yes, quite right. About an hour after he was reborn, I had already recalled the surviving members of the Order and we had a meeting that night." That was something Draco hadn't known. He knew it had been reformed, but he didn't know it was that soon. _Impressive, old man._ "We began to recruit more members. Things continued on like that for most of the year, but the task was made difficult because of Mr. Fudge's attitude. He did not believe Voldemort had returned, and those working at the Ministry had to watch where they tread so they wouldn't find themselves fired or brought up on charges. Then, at the end of fifth year, well, you remember." Dumbledore paused for a minute, either gathering his thoughts or allowing Draco to recall the events of that night. Draco didn't need time; he already knew, but wanted more answers.

"Go on."

"Ah, yes. Well, ever since then, we in the Order of the Phoenix have been headquartered here in Grimmauld Place." All of a sudden, a weight seemed to leave Draco's shoulders. He didn't pay it any attention because he wanted more answers. "I am head, and Hermione and Ginny here are members."

"Why didn't they tell me that?" He sent them a hurt glare. Hermione glared back in return.

"Because we used a spell that encloses a fact within a person's soul. What that means is… it doesn't matter how many people know the fact because only that one person can reveal it to anybody. I am the Secret Keeper. Ginny and Hermione knew, but only because I told them this was headquarters to the Order. You didn't know it was because I didn't tell you."

Draco remembered something Hermione had said earlier.

"_You don't understand. I, even if I felt so inclined, can not tell you what's going on. If I did, it would sound something like this: 'This is the Hermph mmf dr Erfr a Fffncks'."_ He put it together with the information he had just received and realized she said _'This is the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix'._

_So she really couldn't tell me._ For some reason, it made him feel a bit better.

XXXXX

"Wait," Pansy interrupted. "Hang on a sec. If she couldn't tell you, how is it you can tell me?" She was really puzzled.

Draco was a little surprised she caught this. "After we defeated Voldemort, there was no need for the Order's headquarters to be kept secret, so the spell was lifted."

"Oh. Well, okay."

"Can I continue now?"

Pansy sighed. She was getting quite tired. "If you'll hurry it up."

"Well, I'd be a lot closer to done if you'd quit interrupting me."

"Well, sorry, I just like things to be clear is all. Excuse me."

"Well, shut up so I can get on with it." Draco was becoming a bit bored himself and quite tired of Pansy's whining. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and continued.

XXXXX

"Okay. You're Secret Keeper, so only you can tell people how to find this place. If that's true, how come I got here without any problem?"

"Well, that's a bit different."

"How?" he asked Dumbledore.

"You learned the location of this house from your mother. She was not aware of the fact that the Order's headquarters were here. You knew only of the house, not that there were already other inhabitants doing other things."

"Okay." Draco felt something tugging at the back of his mind. He finally figured out what it was and questioned Dumbledore some more.

"Yesterday, when I got here, the kitchen felt a bit warm for it to be only Hermione in here. Were there other people here?"

"Yes. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were both down in the kitchen with you. You couldn't see them because they, being in the house, were under the same spell. Only I can reveal any information concerning things or people inside Grimmauld Place that have anything to do with the Order. When you arrived, I knew you needed time to calm down and rest. Therefore, I told you there was one other person available – Hermione. That's why you could see and interact with her."

Draco considered this. "When I got here, you told me I would be safe, that I would be hard to find. That wasn't the case, though, was it? You lied to me, and put my life in danger, and –"

"Shut up, you wanker! He didn't have to let you in here in the first place, and you're the one that ran away; he didn't make you do it! How dare you say –"

"Hermione, that will be enough. Draco has posed a few questions that need to be answered. If you can't hold your temper, I will ask you to leave." Hermione pouted, but closed her mouth and waited.

"Now, Draco," Dumbledore said quietly, almost sadly, "I am going to ask you to think back to yesterday. We spoke, of course. Do you remember exactly what I said?"

Draco thought for a minute, then said, "You said I would be hard to find here. But I wasn't. It hasn't even been a full day and they found me. Now they know where I am, and where the headquarters is, and it isn't safe –"

"Draco. Calm down, please. I said Voldemort would be hard pressed to find you here; that is true. However, I did not take into account your connection with him."

"What connection?"

"The mark on your arm."

"What about it?"

"The Dark Mark isn't just to summon you; Voldemort can also find the location of any Death Eater he wants simply by focusing on the energy pattern he or she emits. Each person has a different one, kind of like a fingerprint. Being able to sense an individual by that pattern requires powers similar to those that are needed to read auras. It takes a powerful witch or wizard to do it, but as we all know, Voldemort is not lacking in power at the moment."

"So, no matter where I go, he'll be able to find me?"

"Yes, until you have it removed."

"What do you mean, removed?" Draco had never heard of this before. He had always been told the Dark Mark was forever, just like being a Death Eater.

"There is a Healer located near Wales that has recently invented a spell that will remove most magical scars. The magic used when imprinting the Dark Mark can be removed, and topical potions can be used to fade the appearance of the tattoo. He attempted to remove one a few weeks ago and had great success. It can also be used to get rid of scars from various curses."

Draco couldn't believe it. It just sounded way too good to be true. _I can get rid of this disgusting reminder of that filthy bastard AND eliminate his connection with me?_ "How much does it cost?"

"A lot, but if you think you will have a problem finding the funds, we will cover it. This isn't something to rush in to, though."

Draco didn't spare another moment. "I'll do it."

Dumbledore surveyed him through his half-moon spectacles. "Okay, then. I will contact him and we will set an appointment." He looked to the two women who had reseated themselves at the table. "I will leave now, but expect other members to show up soon. There will be extra people here from now on, for security reasons. If you need anything else, contact me and I will be here as soon as I can."

Hermione nodded and Ginny smiled. Draco was staring at the floor, a far away expression on his face. Dumbledore walked over to the fire and Flooed back to Hogwarts.

"Well, that went well enough, didn't it?"

About two hours later, ten members had shown up, been briefed on the situation, and had been set specific assignments. Those that were already doing other things, like Arthur Weasley (who still worked at the Ministry) and Lupin (who would still be incapable of doing anything terribly productive for another two days), would be caught up when they could. There would be two more permanent residents at Grimmauld Place; Ginny Weasley and Paul Figg, Arabella Figg's nephew. They would occupy the third floor, while Hermione and Draco remained on the second. The four of them would take turns, in pairs, patrolling at night on the ground floor.

Several hours later, when things had settled down a bit, Hermione decided to prepare dinner, but realized she would be feeding more people than she had food. Considering what had happened when she left earlier, she wasn't very keen on the idea of going shopping again. Instead, she sent Ginny with Paul to pick up more pasta and chicken. While they were out, she counted nine people would be there for most of the night. Hermione was kind of hesitant to go check on Draco; she didn't know how nice (or rude) he might be after this morning, but no one had seen him in hours. She wanted to make sure he was okay.

_Well, I can't start dinner until Ginny and Paul get back anyway, so I'll just go peek on him._ She nodded to herself in agreement and started up the stairs. She reached the second floor landing and turned left. Suddenly, she halted in her tracks. _What do I say to him? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._ She turned to leave, but just as she did, Draco stepped out of the bedroom. His face looked a little puffy, like he had been crying, and he had dark circles and bags under his eyes.

Immediately, her 'mothering' instincts took over and she rushed up to him. "Draco, what's wrong?"

He looked up, realizing she was there, and averted his face so she couldn't see him properly. "Nothing. I'm fine, just a bit tired."

_Oh, you are such a liar._ "It's okay, you know. Having feelings and all." He looked up sharply.

"Feelings about what? Malfoys don't have _feelings_," he sneered.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be? You're going to bite my head off because I asked a question? Because I felt sympathy for you? Because I tried to show you that someone _cares_ about you? Fine. Be like that." With that, she turned and ran down the stairs, leaving a slightly stunned Draco behind her.

- - - - -

_What's she playing at? First she hates me, then she shags me, then she hates me for asking questions, then she gets upset when I don't want to spill my deepest, darkest secrets to her? WHAT IS IT? ARE ALL WOMEN LIKE THAT?_ He sighed. He just didn't understand women.

He looked down the hall, to the stairs she had disappeared down, and thought about what she had said. _'It's okay, you know. Having feelings and all.'_ Well, maybe it was for her, but he wasn't used to it. It was just too hard, too difficult to have all these strange emotions running around. He wanted it to stop. He wanted it to be done. He wanted out.

_Why am I lying to myself? It's not like I can think worse of myself, anyway._ What he really needed was… someone who cared. He thought Hermione had said something about that. Maybe she would be the person that would care about _him_, not Draco Malfoy, the dirty, filthy Slytherin façade he put on for everyone else. There was someone under that mask, someone only he knew about. His 'friends' hadn't cared to find out; they just liked to be associated with the 'cool guy', to feed off his popularity. It was something they could owl their parents about. _'I'm friends with the Draco Malfoy.'_ They probably didn't even suspect he had interests besides killing people and hating Potter. And there was something about Hermione… something he'd never encountered in anyone else he'd ever dealt closely with. Integrity.

He realized how rude he'd been to the person that had hated him for making fun of her, yet stayed with him through the night when the nightmares had started. He felt so… dirty. Like he'd done something terrible but didn't know what. He wasn't sure what to do now, but he thought he should do _something_ to try to make it up to her.

He couldn't believe it, but he thought he might actually… _need her._


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Hello! I'm sorry it took forever for me to come back to y'all. My laptop busted. I tried to have it fixed, but as it turns out, it's a lost cause, so I had to wait for the opportunity to acquire a new computer. I got it at an asset sale from the local community college for ten bucks. Nice, huh? Plus, my future brother-in-law had a copy of Windows XP we are using, so I am now using WordPad instead of Word. Oh, well, can't have everything.

I was keeping a list of people who reviewed my story and what they had to say, but unfortunately, over the holidays and with my wedding coming up, it has been lost. I won't be able to do the 'recognize-everyone-for-how-awesome-they-are-thing' for a while, so I apologize for that.

So, now that I've gotten all that over with, I'd like to get on with the story, and hope everyone isn't too terribly confused by my new pen name. Enjoy, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

He was standing in the hall right in front of the painting of Black's mother. He was so frustrated and overwhelmed he decided to vent some of his frustration by punching the painting. After all, he knew it wouldn't be able to yell at him. As soon as he did, the moth-eaten curtains flew backward, revealing the woman, screaming who knows what, looking absolutely livid at not being able to voice her opinions. He took a step back and realized how funny she looked and chuckled a little. Suddenly he realized that not all feelings were completely crappy; this one was kind of nice. He also remembered how good he felt when he woke up with Hermione lying next to him.

_Hermione. She has got to be one of the most infuriating women in the world. I just don't see how anyone can stand to be around her for very long. First she's okay, then she's a bitch, then she's okay again, _then_ she flies off the handle, _then_ she's nice. What...?_ He couldn't even finish the thought, he was so exasperated. He continued down to the kitchen to see what else was going on.

Hermione was running around the kitchen, making sure the pasta wasn't sticking and the chicken was thoroughly cooked.Ginny was setting places at the table, while Paul examined the silver and listened to Ginny's stories about Hogwarts. Paul had graduated a year before Ginny started school (with Charlie, as a matter of fact), and occasionally threw in a few of his own stories about goings on while he was there. They were laughing, and it was starting to get on Hermione's nerves.

_Why is he such an asshole? All I was doing was trying to be nice, be a _friend_, and what does he do? He becomes Malfoy all over again. Well, if that's how he wants it to be, that's the way it will be. _She sighed. Was he ever going to get it through his head that he wasn't alone anymore? _Probably not. He's a boy, after all._

Ginny was still laughing at a joke Paul had told her involving a witch, a hag, and a priest when she looked up and saw the surly look on Hermione's face. Knowing it had something to do with Draco, she stood up and walked over to the fire, where Hermione was adding chocolate to the steaming milk. She jumped when Ginny placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, Merlin, Gin, don't scare me like that!"

"I didn't do it to scare you, I did it to find out what the problem is."

"It's -" Hermione couldn't say anymore. _Damn jinx._

Ginny smiled. "Ha ha ha. I know there's a problem. I'm your friend. I'm here to help. Talk to me." To her surprise, she saw tears welling up in her friend's eyes. "Mione, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"Oh, Gin, it's -" Just then, Draco walked in to the room. Hermione gasped and turned back to the fire. Ginny's suspicions were confirmed.

"It's going to work out. You'll see," Ginny whispered, then walked over to the door, where Draco seemed to be frozen to the spot. Hermione looked up and saw a faint glimmer of fear in his eyes. Her heart almost melted; she hated to see people afraid. That's why she was part of the Order. She was trying to help get rid of one of the biggest fears the wizarding community in general had faced in the last thirty years. She nearly walked over to him, to tell him it would be all right, when he looked up and caught her eye. She saw something there she couldn't readily identify, but it scared her a little. She turned back to the fire and stirred the pasta.

"Well," she called, "dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Go tell the others, will you, Gin?" She nodded and stood up. Hermione heard her tell Paul to get up.

"Does it really take two people to go down the hall?"

"Shut up and let's leave them... alone for a minute, okay?" Ginny hissed back. Hermione heard the scrape ofa chair on the floor and then the dull thud that meant the kitchen door was shut. She continued to stir the pasta. She was staring in to the flames of the fire when she heard Draco clear his throat, followed by a murmur, then a cough, then silence. She turned around.

"Sorry, didn't catch that. What did you say?"

"Me?" Draco looked startled. "I didn't, er, say, um, anything. Nothing at all." He turned a dull pink. Hermione knew he had, but wasn't going to push it. She shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the fire.

A minute passed, then two. _Why is he here if he isn't going to say anything? I can't stand this. Why are boys so STUPID?_ She turned back around to face Draco again.

"Are you sure you didn't say something?" she asked.

"N- um, er, well, yeah. I did, actually."

"Well, what was it?"

"Oh, um, nothing important."

"Well, obviously it was to you, otherwise you wouldn't have said it."

"Yeah, well, I-" he broke off and sighed.

Hermione was becoming a little concerned about him, against her better judgement. "What is it? Is there something wrong?"

* * *

Draco was trying to gather the courage to repeat what he had already said. _Is she pretending she didn't hear me just to make me say it again? If she is, well... she better not be._

He sighed again, then looked up. Her eyes were filled with concern, but also seemed to be a bit cool. _Maybe she's still mad at me for yelling at her. If she's still mad, though, why's she so concerned? Damn women. All these emotions and feelings. How do they do it without going mad? HEY, maybe that's why they ARE mad, they can't handle feeling all that stuff all the time and that's why they're insane._ He felt pretty proud of himself for coming up with that one.

Hermione cleared her throat, making him realize he'd been staring in to her eyes for the last three minutes while he worked all that out in his head. The look in her eyes also made him remember what it was he needed to tell her. His palms started to sweat and his mouth went dry. He took a deep breath.

* * *

Hermione was getting a little irritated. He was just sitting there, staring at her. He wasn't saying anything. He was barely breathing. _I've got better things to do than stand here and stare into his eyes all night._

_Really? I wasn't aware that you had any plans,_ her conscience threw in.

_Ah, shut up. I'm not talking to you right now. I'm busy._

_Yeah, I know. Staring in to his eyes._

_Sod off, you,_ Hermione thought.

She was in the process of trying to pry her eyes away from his when he finally spoke.

"ImsorryImsuchassholeyoureallyniceandImsorryforeverythingIcalledyouandwanttobeyourfriendcanyoupleaseforgiveme?"

"What?" Hermione thought she heard 'I'm sorry' and 'asshole', so she had a pretty good idea what he meant, but she was going to make him say it. Properly, so she could savor every single word.

"I _said,_ I'm sorry that I'm such an asshole. You're really nice and I'm sorry for everything I've called you, and I want to be your friend. Can you please forgive me?" He sounded kind of believable, but he had a little smirk on his face. Hermione guessed that meant he thought he had her all figured out and now that he knew the rules, he would find a way to win this game.

"I don't know," she replied.

* * *

"What do you _mean_, you don't know?" Draco cried. 

"Exactly what it sounds like. I don't know if I'll forgive you. I'll have to think about it."

Draco almost fell out of his chair. He'd never, _never,_ apologized like that before. He'd never had to. All he had to do was say 'I'm sorry' and everything had returned to normal, with a new toy or privelege or whatever. And all she could say was 'I don't know'? What the FUCK was that about?

"Why?"

"Why what? Why do I have to think about it? Because you don't really mean it. Maybe, if you can convince me you mean it, I'll forgive you. Until then, no. I will NOT just accept lip service. You have to mean it. You don't sound like you mean it. Furthermore, you aren't acting like you mean it, either. When you apologize to someone, you don't _smirk_ at them. You look... well... sorry."

"But-"

"No. You'll just have to figure out how to make me believe you're sorry -REALLY sorry - and apologize properly. Until then, well, I don't really have anything to say to you." With that, she turned back to the fire.

Draco was absolutely stunned., He started to get angry at her again, but remembered what happened last time he had gotten angry and took it out on her. He ended up being his usual asshole self, which didn't endear him to her at all. _Shit. Now what?_

At that moment, everyone filed in for dinner and sat down at the table. Since he didn't have the opportunity to think about what he could do to make things better, he stared at his plate.

Dinner went well enough. There was enough food for everyone, plus leftovers for the two people who ended up on guard duty that night. Everyone was civil, and there was plenty of dinner conversation, so there were no awkward silences. After dinner, they all went to the drawing room to relax. Six of them started a card tournament, which left Ginny and Paul still chatting and Draco, who was lost in his thoughts. He was still trying to figure out a way to show Hermione he was truly sorry. Suddenly, it dawned on him. _Ginny._ Hermione's best friend. _Why didn't I think of that before? Duh._ He stood up and crossed the room to where Ginny was sitting on a love seat at an angle from Paul, who was in a squishy armchair. Both were done in emerald green chintz and trimmed in silver. Ginny's red hair on the green upholstery put him in the mind of a Christmas elf. He chuckled a bit, which caught the pair's attention.

"Come out of your funk yet, Malfoy?" Ginny teased him.

"Ha ha, very funny. A little, but I need your help."

Ginny looked a bit surprised. "My help? What for?"

"Well, it's about Hermione."

"Ohhhhh." Ginny's eyes were sparkling now. "Let me guess. You got pissy with her, she told you off, you 'fake' apologized, she told you off again, and now you're trying to get out of the doghouse. Am I right?"

Draco's jaw hit the floor. "But - you haven't even talked to her! How-?"

"I'm a girl. That's how."

"Fair point, Ginny." Paul's eyes were also twinkling a little now.

"Please, Ginny, will you help me?" Draco was practically begging her.

"Depends. Are you sorry for whatever you did?"

"Yes." Draco didn't even hesitate.

"Well, okay. But you can't come to me to fix everything, okay? This is a trial offer. Got it?"

"Yeah, okay, fine. Now, what do I do?" Draco was getting desperate.

"Well, for starters, Paul and I are going to do security duty tonight, which means Hermione isn't, and neither are you. Therefore, you have time tonight. The sooner you do it the better, understand?"

"Okay."

"Now, here's the plan." Ginny scooted over, patted the seat beside her, and started whispering to Draco. Occasionally, Paul would throw in a comment or suggestion. About ten minutes later, Draco stood up, stretching.

"Are you sure that's going to work?" Draco asked.

"Yes. I'm certain. Even if you screw it up a little bit, it should still work. Do you remember everything?"

"Yeah, I think so. Most of it, anyway."

"Good. Well, I think we're going to go sign up for that tournament now, eh, Paul?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. Whatever." They stood up and moved over to the card table where four people were playing Euchre. They sat down with the two not playing, which included Hermione. Draco paused in the doorway, looking at her. Her hair was still falling softly incurls down her back, and she was laughing. _I don't think I've ever seen anything so... beautiful. _He blinked. _Beautiful?_

"Yes, beautiful." He smiled a little and moved out of the room and up the stairs, where he would set Mission: Please Forgive Me into action.

A/N: If you've never heard of Euchre (pronounced 'you-cure'), you're not alone. It's mostly a Michigan game, which if you'd looked at my profile, you'd know that's where I'm from. Why are they playing a Michigan game in England? Cause I decided they would. Wanna know how to play? Email me and I'll try to explain it.

Warm fuzzies,

Kat


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